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New Delhi: A 35-person panel established by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been commissioned with developing the curriculum and instructional materials for the social sciences (SST), which include political science, sociology, psychology, history, and geography. The Curriculum Area Group (CAG) is in charge of creating the curriculum for Grades 6 through 12 in accordance with the recently implemented National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for education in schools. The National Curriculum Framework Oversight Committee (NOC) and the National Syllabus and Teaching-Learning Material Committee (NSTC) were established by NCERT on July 21 in response to the NCF’s notification.
The 19-member National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC), which was notified in July to finalize the curriculum, textbooks, and learning materials for these classes, has been followed by the Curricular Area Group (CAG): Social Science (including History, Geography, Political Science, Sociology, and Psychology), which is chaired by Michel Danino, a visiting professor at IIT-Gandhinagar, according to a notification from NCERT.
The Committee on Social Sciences will collaborate with the Early Stage Curriculum Group and other relevant committees to ensure seamless transition from Classes III-V, promote inter-disciplinarity between subjects and integrate cross-cutting subjects in the social sciences.
Comprising eminent academicians, subject matter experts and educational officials from diverse backgrounds, the panel aims to examine and update the existing social science curriculum. Their collective goal is to ensure that it is in line with contemporary academic standards and pedagogical methods.
NSTC was expected to further constitute at least 11 CAGs in different subject domains. So far, it has constituted CAGs for innovative pedagogy and teaching learning material, IKS and social sciences.
“This Group will also coordinate with the Preparatory Stage CAG, as well as with other CAGs as required, to ensure continuity with Grades 3-5, interdisciplinarity among subjects, and the integration of cross-cutting themes in Social Science,” the NCERT notification stated.
“Given the need for vertical and horizontal linkages and integration across disciplines in Social Sciences, both the CAGs- Social Science and Economics will ensure this integration by sharing and discussing drafts of material prepared with each other,” it added.
Experts for the Curriculum Area Group (CAG) on social sciences have been selected from various institutions across the country. The members include Banabina Brahma from Kokrajhar Government College (Assam), economist Sanjeev Sanyal, historian Meenakshi Jain (former associate professor at Gargi College), Javaid Iqbal Bhat from the Department of English at the University of Kashmir, Jaswinder Singh (assistant professor at Guru Gobind Singh Department of Religious Studies, Punjabi University, Patiala), and Swati Singh (special education teacher at Shiv Nadar School, Gurgaon). Professor Michel Danino, a member of the National Syllabus and Teaching-Learning Material Committee (NSTC), serves as the chairperson of this CAG.
In the process of revising the curriculum, the NCERT panel is seeking external feedback to promote a collaborative and inclusive educational reform. This is an important moment for social science education in India, where critical thinking and holistic understanding of social structures have become increasingly important.
