National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) (Hindi: राष्ट्रीय शैक्षिक अनुसंधान और प्रशिक्षण परिषद) is an autonomous organisation of Ministry of Education, the Government of India. Established in 1961, it is a literary, scientific and charitable Society under the Societies Registration Act.[a] Its headquarters are located at Sri Aurbindo Marg in New Delhi. Dr. Dinesh Prasad Saklani is the director of NCERT since 2022
History of NCERT :
The Indian Ministry of Education established the NCERT on 27 July 1961, and the council began formal operation on 1 September 1961. It was formed through the merger of seven government organizations:
1. the Central Institute of Education
2. the Central Bureau of Textbook Research
3. the Central Bureau of Educational and Vocational Guidance
4. the Directorate of Extension Programmes for Secondary Education
5. the National Institute of Basic Education
6. the National Fundamental Education Centre
7. National Institute of Audio-Visual Education
It is separate from the National Council for Teacher Education.
It is the objective of the NCERT to design and support a common system of education for the country that is national in character, as well as to enable and encourage the diverse cultural practices across the country as a whole. Based on the recommendations of the Education Commission (1964–66), the first national policy statement on education was issued in 1968. The policy endorsed the adoption of a uniform pattern of school education across the country consisting of 10 years of general education program followed by 2 years of diversified schooling.
The NCERT is also behind the formation of the National Science Talent Search Scheme (NTSS) in the year 1963. The program was aimed at identifying, nurturing the talented students in India, and rewarding them with scholarships. The National Science Talent Search Scheme (NTSS) underwent a major change in the year 1976 with the introduction of the 10+2+3 pattern of education. The program was renamed to National Talent Search Scheme with the NTSE examination now being conducted for classes X, XI, and XII. Currently, the NTSE exam is conducted only for 10th class students in India in two phases with subjects relating to Mental Ability Test and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for 100 marks each.
The Curriculum for the Ten-year school
This framework came in 1975. It emphasized that a curriculum based on the principles laid out in the framework has to be developed on the basis of research. Thus for NCERT, the 1970s was a decade flushed with curriculum research and development activities to narrate the content and process of education to Indian realities.
National Curriculum for Elementary and Secondary Education
This revised curriculum framework was implemented in 1988 following the 1986 National Policy on Education. It encompassed 12 years of school education and suggested a reorientation of curricular and instructional materials to make them more child-centered. It advocated returning out examination reforms and the implementation of CCE at all stages of education.
National Curriculum Framework 2000
This framework came in 2000. It stressed the need for a healthful, agreeable, and stress-free adolescence and reduction of the curricular contents. Thus a multicultural thematic approach was recommended, environmental education was pronounced upon and language and mathematics got desegregated in the first two years of education.
National Curriculum Framework: The council came up with a new National Curriculum Framework in 2005, drafted by a National Steering Committee. This exercise was based on 5 guiding principles:
1. Connecting knowledge to life outside school.
2. Shift from the rote method of learning.
3. Enriching the curriculum for the overall development of children so that it goes beyond textbooks.
4. Making examinations flexible and integrating them with classroom life. and,
5. Nurturing an identity informed by caring concerns.
In 2021, NCERT textbooks revision process was initiated by the Government of India by setting up a committee headed by former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan to prepare a document laying down various guidelines for changes in the curriculum of the council
Logo of NCERT :
The NCERT logo was designed by Manubhai Chhaganlal Gajjar in 1961 at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.[9][10] The design is taken from an Ashokan period relic of the 3rd century BCE which was found in excavations near Maski in Raichur district, Karnataka. The motto has been taken from the Isha Upanishad and means 'life eternal through learning'. The three intertwined swans symbolize the integration of the three aspects of the work of NCERT, namely research & development, training and extension.
The major Constituent units of the NCERT which are located in different regions of the country are :
1. National Institute of Education (NIE), New Delhi
2. Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), New Delhi
3. Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education (PSSCIVE), Bhopal
4. Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Ajmer
5. Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Bhopal
6. Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Bhubaneswar
7. Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Mysuru
8. North East Regional Institute of Education (NERIE), Shillong