The document discusses recent curricular reforms in mathematics education in India according to the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) of 2005. It notes that past mathematics education led to fear and failure among students and lacked connection to real life. The NCF-2005 aims to make mathematics learning enjoyable, address different student abilities, and strengthen teacher training. It advocates a constructivist approach and relating mathematics to students' experiences. The framework envisions students learning important concepts rather than procedures and seeing mathematics as something collaborative to discuss.

1. Recent Curricular Reforms at the
National and State Level (NCF-2005)
Gautam Kumar
Assistant Professor
University Department of Teacher Education
Utkal University, Bhubaneswar
https://www.gautamkumar.net/

2. Rational
• ‘Knowledge of mathematics is an essential part of any curriculum’ - Gandhiji propounded the
idea of basic education, the Zakir Husain committee was appointed to elaborate on this idea
(1937)
• Every child is expected to work out the ordinary calculations required in the course of his
craft work or his personal and community concerns and activities.
• Mathematics as a compulsory subject in the schools - Secondary Education Commission
(1952)
• ‘advent of automation and cybernatics in this century marks the beginning of the new
scientific industrial revolution and makes it all the more imperative to devote special attention
to the study of mathematics’ - The Curriculum for The Ten Year School - A Framework –
1975
• Mathematics should be visualized as the vehicle to train a child to think, reason, analyze and
to articulate logically. - NPE 1986
• Science and mathematics should be an integral part of general education till the end of the
school stage – Kothari Commission (1964-64)

3. Objectives
An analysis of mathematics education in our country resulted in:
• A sense of fear and failure regarding mathematics among a majority of
children,
• A curriculum that disappoints both a talented minority as well as the
non-participating majority at the same time,
• Crude methods of assessment that encourage perception of mathematics
as mechanical computation, and
• Lack of teacher preparation and support in the teaching of mathematics.

4. Objectives
In the event of the above-identified shortfalls in teaching-learning of
mathematics at the school level NCF-2005 advocates curriculum reforms
for:
• mathematics learning be an enjoyable activity.
• the curriculum should take care of talented minority and non-
participating majority.
• revamping assessment plan.
• strengthening the Mathematics teacher training programme

5. Principal
Several research in the area of teaching and learning confirms that learning has
become a source of burden and stress on children and their parents is evidence
of a deep distortion in educational aims and quality. In order to address this
distortion, the present NCF proposes five guiding principles for curriculum
development and reforms:
• connecting knowledge to life outside the school;
• ensuring that learning shifts away from rote methods;
• enriching the curriculum so that it goes beyond textbooks;
• making examinations more flexible and integrating them with classroom life;
and
• nurturing an overriding identity informed by caring concerns within the
democratic polity of the country.

6. Design
• Constructivism wherein each child should get the opportunity to be a part of
the learning process
• Connects the curriculum and textbooks to the real-life experiences of the
child
• Learner-centred and based on activities so that the child can get ample
opportunity to observe, experiment and manipulate the things to construct
their own knowledge based on their experience.
- NCF, 2005

7. Design
National Curriculum Framework - 2005 advocates the following vision for school mathematics
curriculum:
• Children learn to enjoy mathematics rather than fear it.
• Children learn important mathematics: Mathematics is more than formulas and mechanical
procedures.
• Children see mathematics as something to talk about, to communicate through, to discuss among
themselves, to work together on.
• Children pose and solve meaningful problems.
• Children use abstractions to perceive relationships, to see structures, to reason out things, to argue
the truth or falsity of statements.
• Children understand the basic structure of Mathematics: Arithmetic, algebra, geometry and
• trigonometry, the basic content areas of school Mathematics, all offer a methodology for
abstraction, structuration and generalisation.
• Teachers engage every child in the class with the conviction that everyone can learn mathematics.

8. Design
National Curriculum Framework - 2005 advocates the following vision for school mathematics
curriculum:
• Children learn to enjoy mathematics rather than fear it.
• Children learn important mathematics: Mathematics is more than formulas and mechanical
procedures.
• Children see mathematics as something to talk about, to communicate through, to discuss among
themselves, to work together on.
• Children pose and solve meaningful problems.
• Children use abstractions to perceive relationships, to see structures, to reason out things, to argue
the truth or falsity of statements.
• Children understand the basic structure of Mathematics: Arithmetic, algebra, geometry and
• trigonometry, the basic content areas of school Mathematics, all offer a methodology for
abstraction, structuration and generalisation.
• Teachers engage every child in the class with the conviction that everyone can learn mathematics.

9. Design
Pre-primary stage
Didactic Method
Primary stage
Games, puzzles and stories help in developing a positive attitude and in making connections
between mathematics and everyday thinking
Upper primary
Students should get the first taste of the power of Mathematics through the application of
powerful abstract concepts that compress previous learning and experience.
Secondary level
Students should begin to perceive the structure of Mathematics

10. Materials in Teaching-Learning of Mathematics
Textbook: Textbook is always a prime site for curriculum designing. Improved
textbooks that are carefully written and designed, professionally edited and tested,
offering not merely factual information but also interactive spaces for children are
important.
Subject Dictionaries: Subject dictionaries can help with the meaning of technical
terms of that subject.
Supplementary books, Workbooks and extra reading materials: Supplementary
book and workbook can be used to provide extra practice opportunity to the learner.
Manual and Handbook: Manual and Handbook can help teachers on the transactional
modality of the content prescribed the textbook.
Libraries: Library is the storehouse of the information in any educational institutes.
students must be encouraged to visit the library at regular interval of time.
Laboratories: Every school must be equipped with a rich laboratory, as it gives an
opportunity to observe, experiments and manipulated the concept which child

11. Materials in Teaching-Learning of Mathematics
Laboratories: Every school must be equipped with a rich laboratory, as it gives an
opportunity to observe, experiments and manipulated the concept which child learning
in the class. It also provides opportunities for hands experience.
Tools of ICT: Tools of ICT have the prominent place in teaching a- learning process, as
it enables us to have rich learning experiences.
Other Sites and Spaces: NCF-2005 advocated to link the content learned in the
classroom to the real-life experiences if the child. In order to connect content to the real
life of the child, there must have filed trip or community outreach programme, wherein
the children will get the opportunity to interact with the community members and see
how content learned in the classroom is applicable in the rea life.

12. Discussion