This document discusses the validity and significance of course content at the secondary and higher secondary level in India. It summarizes the National Curriculum Framework from 2005 on various school subjects like languages, mathematics, science, social science, art education, health and physical education. It emphasizes the importance of incorporating social realities into the curriculum to ensure consistency, such as gender issues, vocational education, inclusive education. It also discusses how curriculum contexts should be adapted based on situational analysis to meet changing societal demands over time, for example the growing emphasis on technology and sex education. The document concludes by stressing the important role of governments, teachers, and education committees in regularly reviewing and updating curriculum to integrate these key aspects.

1. Prepared by
Usman Gani Al Haque, M.Ed III Sem
( 2015-17 batch), School of Education,
Pondicherry University
Validity and Significance of Course Content,
Consistency with Social Reality, Situational Analysis
of the Curriculum Contexts at Secondary and Higher
Secondary Level (Unit:2, subunit:1)

2. Here by validity and significance of course content, it
means how logically the various subject curricula are
made and their importance for daily life and for the world
of work. The NCF-2005 describes about the various
subjects at school level, there role, importance, validity
and significance. Below is the explanation of each subject
matter according to chapter 3 of NCF-2005 which justifies
the validity and significance of them.
Validity and Significance of Course Content

3. • Language skills — speech and listening, reading and writing — cut
across school subjects and disciplines. Their foundational role in
children's construction of knowledge right from elementary classes
through senior secondary classes needs to be recognised.
• A renewed effort should be made to implement the three-language
formula, emphasising the recognition of children's home language(s)
or mother tongue(s) as the best medium of instruction. These include
tribal languages.
• English needs to find its place along with other Indian languages.•
The multilingual character of Indian society should be seen as a
resource for the enrichment of school life.
Languages

4. Mathematisation(ability to think logically, formulate and
handle abstractions) rather than knowledge' of mathematics
(formal and mechanical procedures) is the main goal of
teaching mathematics.
• The teaching of mathematics should enhance children's
ability to think and reason, to visualise and handle
abstractions, to formulate and solve problems. Access to
quality mathematicseducation is the right of every child.
Mathematics

5. • Content, process and language of science teaching must be
commensurate with the learner's age-range and cognitive reach.
• Science teaching should engage the learners in acquiring methods
and processes that will nurture their curiosity and creativity,
particularly in relation to the environment.
• Science teaching should be placed in the wider context of children’s
environment to equip them with the requisite knowledge and skills to
enter the world of work.
• Awareness of environmental concerns must permeate the entire
school curriculum.
Science

6. • Social science content needs to focus on conceptual
understanding rather than lining up facts to be memorised for
examination, and should equip children with the ability to think
independently and reflect critically on social issues.
• Interdisciplinary approaches, promoting key national
concerns such as gender, justice, human rights, and sensitivity
to marginalised groups and minorities.
• Civics should be recast as political science, and the
significance of history as a shaping influence on the children's
conception of the past and civic identity should be recognised.
Social Science

7. • Arts (folk and classical forms of music and dance, visual arts, puppetry, clay
work, theatre, etc.) and heritage crafts should be recognised as integral
components of the school curriculum.
• Awareness of their relevance to personal, social, economic and aesthetic needs
should be built among parents, school authorities and administrators.
• The arts should comprise a subject at every stage of school education.
Health and Physical Education :
Health and physical education are necessary for the overall development of
learners. Through health and physical education programmes (including yoga),
it may be possible to handle successfully the issues of enrolment, retention and
completion of school.
Art Education

8. The word ‘consistency’ meaning to happen something always in
a similar way, there should be uniformity in the happenings.
Therefore consistency with social reality refers to the inclusion of
social issues, social realities in the curriculum. Social realities
like gender issues, sex education, technical education, vocational
education, inclusive curriculum, discriminations on grounds of:
sex, colour, caste, creed, religion, equality and equity all these
need to be included in the curriculum. Therefore the curriculum
and social reality should go hand in hand. These issues have been
discussed in various policies and programs so far
Consistency with Social Reality

9. Mudaliar Commission (1952-53) :
Page 21-43Chapter IV of the Mudaliar commission mentions about Technical
education: importance of technical education, essentials characteristics of it,
technical education in relation to compulsory education, causes for slow
progress of technical education, etc. It also talks about some special problems
of women's education, co-education, etc.
NPE (1986)
Part IV of the NPE talks about the Education for equality which includes
Disparities, Education for Women’s equality, The education of scheduled
castes, The education of scheduled tribes, other educationally backward
sections and areas such as minorities, handicapped ,adult education.

10. NCF-2005 :
Chapter III subheading 3.6 mentions Health and Physical Education which
talks about the growing realisation that the health needs of adolescents,
particularly their reproductive and sexual health needs, require to be
addressed. Basically it tells about sex education which is an alarming social
issue at present time.
RMSA :
Chapter IV of RMSA talks about the coverage of special focus group which
includes Education for Girls, Scheduled Caste and Tribal Children, Children
from Educationally Backward Minority Community and Children with
Disability, Hostel facility for girls, out of school children.

11. Situational analysis of the curriculum context refers to modification of the
course content according to the demand of the situation. As we can see there is
a continuous reform in the curriculum of secondary education including
CBSE and other state boards in a regular interval of time, which is intended
to meet the changes and demands occur in the society. In an instance, earlier
there was not much demand of ICT in schools but with the growing use of
technology in education the need of ICT in education was felt and
implementation of the same in the curriculum can be cited as situational
analysis of the curriculum context. Likewise inclusive education, sex
education, vocational education, various new methods: strategies and
techniques of teaching, promoting activity-centred curriculum, are the
demand of the situation and implemented in the curriculum accordingly.
Situational Analysis of the Curriculum
Contexts

12. After the lengthy discussion about the three major aspects of a productive
curriculum of secondary and higher education, we can now draw conclusion
that all these aspects are part and parcel of the curriculum and the curriculum
planners should keep these things in mind while planning a new one. The
central as well as state governments have to be initiative in this regard and a
regular cross check of the curriculum needs to be made, which can be done by
forming education committee, advisory board, etc. Teachers, administrators of
school have also a great role in identifying the social reality, demand of the
situation and write about it to higher authority or publish article or can do
research.
Conclusion

13.  Mudaliar Commission(1952-53): 21-43
 National Policy on Education-POA(1992): 7-11
 National Curricular Framework (2005): 36-56
 Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan(2009): 40-47
References