Kathmandu, September 11
Suggestions ranging from reducing the curriculum load to incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) have been collected as part of the process to revise the National Curriculum Framework.
The suggestions were collected through workshops held in all seven provinces to revise the National Curriculum Framework, 2076 BS.
The Ministry of Education and Sports said participants suggested reducing the curriculum load, making education more employment- and entrepreneurship-oriented, and incorporating new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), into the curriculum.
According to the ministry, participants at workshops organised by the Curriculum Development Centre, Sanothimi, Bhaktapur, in all seven provinces for the revision of the National Curriculum Framework, 2076, stressed the need to make the existing curriculum relevant to the times, practical, useful for everyday life and suited to local needs.
Discussions held in Koshi Province produced suggestions to link education with local production and make it employment- and entrepreneurship-oriented, while making learning student-centred, creative, practical and technology-friendly.
Participants said education should expand technical and vocational education while also promoting patriotism and morality and preserving traditional languages, scripts and culture. They also suggested making the curriculum flexible and giving schools and teachers some responsibility for its development and implementation.
In Madhesh Province, reducing the content and workload of the curriculum emerged as a major concern. Participants suggested incorporating knowledge and skills related to tourism, agriculture and other local and high-potential sectors into the curriculum. They also called for updating technology-related content and including knowledge about AI.
Participants from Madhesh also stressed the need for moral and spiritual education, assessment through students’ participation in social work, greater involvement of teachers in curriculum development, and prioritising teacher capacity development.
Suggestions were also made to ensure students gain proficiency in their mother tongue, Nepali and English, and to include content that can create employment opportunities through indigenous knowledge and skills.
Participants also suggested developing headteachers as educational leaders rather than administrators, giving local governments authority to develop local curricula, providing psychosocial counselling for students, and placing greater emphasis on parent education.
In Bagmati Province, emphasis was placed on entrepreneurship- and employment-oriented education, mandatory parent education, moral education, and the promotion of local knowledge, skills and culture.
Participants from Gandaki Province said education should be made practical, useful for everyday life, skills-based and employment-oriented. They suggested producing self-reliant and skilled human resources through pre-vocational, agricultural and technical education, while incorporating local geography, history, art, culture and diversity into the curriculum.
In Lumbini Province, participants suggested reducing the curriculum load and content, developing a curriculum that promotes patriotism, and using AI to foster creativity.
Participants said the curriculum should enable young people to become self-reliant and create employment opportunities within the country rather than forcing them to seek opportunities abroad.
In Karnali Province, participants suggested bringing early childhood development and education into the school structure as a two-year programme, making monitoring and evaluation of the actual implementation of the curriculum more effective, and ending the confusion caused by frequent curriculum changes. They also stressed the need to provide teachers with necessary support in various areas.
Although a programme was held at the Private and Boarding Schools’ Organisation Nepal (PABSON) Sudurpaschim and the Ministry of Social Development in Dhangadhi in Sudurpaschim Province, details of the main suggestions received from the discussion were not provided.
In line with a ministerial decision of the Ministry of Education and Sports, the task force formed to revise the National Curriculum Framework has been collecting suggestions and feedback from stakeholders at the field level in 28 districts across all seven provinces, with the objective of making the curriculum relevant to the times, practical, useful for everyday life and effective.
The task force has conducted direct interactions with teachers, students, headteachers, parents, experts, policymakers, local government representatives and other stakeholders in various districts.
According to Curriculum Development Centre Executive Director Mahendra Parajuli, suggestions will be collected from 28 districts in the first phase. Suggestions will then be sought from all 77 Education Development and Coordination Units, while feedback will also be collected through the centre’s website.
The suggestions received from workshops in all seven provinces indicate a common view that the National Curriculum Framework should reduce the curriculum load while linking education with local needs, employment, entrepreneurship, technology, morality and practical life skills.
The Curriculum Development Centre said it would move ahead with the necessary process to revise the National Curriculum Framework, 2076, based on the suggestions received.
