This document provides an overview of curriculum development and education systems in several countries including China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, and Japan. It describes the structure of education in each country, from primary to higher education, and highlights some of the reforms to national curriculum frameworks over time, with an emphasis on increasing student-centered learning and problem-solving skills.

1. Curriculum Development in
Comparative Perspectives

2. China
• Most populous country of the world is China
• 200 million students attending public schools taught
by over 9 million teachers in the elementary, junior,
and senior high schools
• largest educational system of the world
• The course syllabi are written by scientists and
professors hired by the National Educational
Commission.

3. • Education in China is a state-run system of public
education run by the Ministry of Education.
• NINE YEAR COMPULSORY EDUCATION(1986)
• 6 Years of Primary Education
• 3 Years of Junior Secondary Education

4. Education in China is divided into four categories
• basic education
• secondary vocational-technical education
• regular higher education
• adult education.

5. • Education is free and compulsory for 9 years in China, split
between Primary and Junior middle school at the age of 6-15.
many children start their schooling at a nursery school (called
Kindergarten in China) as early as 2 years old.
• 2-6: Kindergarten
• 6-12: Primary school (compulsory)
• 12-15: Junior middle school (compulsory)
• 15-18: Senior high school (middle school) or Vocational
school
• 18-22: University or college

6. • Secondary vocational training provide short-term
vocational programs of finance and economics, physical
education, and arts.
• Technical training provide medium-level skilled workers,
farmers, as well as managerial and technical personnel.
• Both have 3 or 4 years programs

7. PRIMARY EDUCATION
• Age: 6-12 Years
• • Duration: 5-6 Years
• • Compulsory Subjects:
• Moral Education, Chinese Language,
• Mathematics, Social Studies, Natural Science,
• Physical Education, Music, Arts, and Labor
• Services.

8. SECONDARY EDUCATION
• Junior Secondary Education
• Duration:3-4 Years
• Compulsory 13 Subjects: Politics, Chinese Language,
Mathematics, Foreign Language, History, Geography,
Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Physical Education, Music,
Art, and Household Skills.

9. China
• 1993: syllabi and twenty‐four curricula for nine‐year
compulsory
• programme
• 1998: adjustment of primary and secondary school
curriculum
• contents; reducing the overload and subject difficulty;
enabling locally
• relevant selection of teaching materials
• 2001: implementation of curriculum standards for basic
education;
• emphasizing innovation and creative thinking

10. India
• 1988: National Curriculum Framework for Elementary
and Secondary Education
• 2000: National Curriculum Framework; emphasizing
minimum levels of learning, values, ICT, management
and accountability, continuous comprehensive evaluation
in cognitive, social and value dimensions.
• 2005: shift in examination system from content‐based
testing to problem‐solving and competency based
assessment; states encouraged to renew their own
curriculum in light of the national curriculum framework

11. • Curriculum no longer to be bookish but was to be drawn
from the social and physical environment of the child. In
fact, the system offered a larger measure of freedom to
teachers at a time when they were not prepared to shoulder
it.
• Courses of study, therefore, in history, geography, economies,
civics were fused together and were called social studies.
• Similar courses in physics, chemistry and biology were fused
together and called general science. All books were rewritten
and the teacher training institutions began to advocate this
integrated approach

12. Indonesia
• 1999: development of a national competency based
curriculum allowing both unity and diversity; addressing
overload and overly rigid curricula
• 2006: application of school based curriculum

13. Malaysia
• 1983, 1995, 1999: content and outcome based curriculum; use
of activity based and student centred pedagogy approaches;
promoting critical and creative thinking skills
• 2008: trial implementation of new modular and thematic
curriculum and school based assessment
• 2011: implementation of the standard curriculum for primary
school in Stage/Phase I (grades 1‐3) building on the Integrated
Curriculum for Primary School introduced in the late 1990s.

14. • The main aim of science at the primary level is to lay the
foundation for building a society that is culturally scientific
and technological, caring, dynamic and progressive.
• Emphasis is given on the mastery of scientific skills needed
to study and understand the world. Scientific skills refer to
process skills and manipulative skills. At the lower primary
level, elements of science are integrated across the
curriculum.

15. New Zealand
• 1992: Outcomes focused curriculum
• 2007: New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) consisting of a
framework of key competencies integrating essential
skills, knowledge, attitudes, and values.

16. PAKISTAN
Phases
• Evolution of curriculum objectives.
• Development of scheme of studies.
• Development of syllabus of each subject.
• Development of textbook, instructional Material.
• Approval of textual material.
• Teacher training.

17. THE SCHEME OF STUDIES
It is based on three key factors:
• The national education policy
• Market demand
• Global issues
Visit National Curriculum 2006

18. USA
• Schooling compulsory 5-16
• Curriculum state wise different
• Local autonomy and pluralistic nature
• No official state curriculum
• Stakeholders involved in curriculum development
• English, mathematics, social studies, music, arts, physical
education.
• Advancement in new technology-new teaching methods
• High school diploma require attendance and satisfactory
school record

19. UK
• National curriculum
• Core three subjects: maths, science, languages
• Provision of religious education also included
• Nation wide assessment at terminal stages

20. Canada
• No national curriculum
• 12 provinces…12 education systems…stemming from
aspirations of the people of that community
• Discovery method

21. Russia
• Continuously updating since 1920
• State controlled education system
• Primary: games, study, entertainment, all aspects of
physical, moral, academic education
• Secondary level: vocational and specialized
secondary schools
• Labour education throughout secondary education
• Higher education accessible to everyone

22. Japan
• Overall development of learner
• Primary : activities, basics of arithmetic, read
and write
• Japanese languages, science, Maths, handicrafts,
physical education
• Pre-vocational, English as foreign language

23. Thanks