Indian education board will modify curriculum

Dubai: The quality aspect in education takes prime importance in the 21st century and tops the agenda of the Central Board of Secondary Education, said its chairman.

Ashok Ganguly, Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in Delhi, India visited the UAE and addressed the four domains of quality in education: content, people, process, and technology in a press conference at the Indian High School in Dubai.

CBSE caters to about 10 per cent of the school systems in India that have 41 boards, he said, while adding that schools should have more flexibility and the opportunity to introduce creativity and vocational skills.

Support

"The content should go beyond the curriculum ... the new content area we need to enter is offer a joined certificate. The board should not have hegemony but should get the industry's support to provide students with important skills," he said.

Among the board's initiatives is to introduce a new course, financial market management, into the CBSE curriculum, which is implemented by the industry support - National Stock Exchange - and will be included in the 2009 examination.

Currently the subject is taken up by 90 CBSE schools in India.

The board is also aiming to include courses in various domains including general health care, fashion industry, retail management, and IT to be part of the grade 11 and 12 curriculum.

This includes the consideration of introducing academic subjects in graphic design and film studies, which aim to provide students with a wide array of studies and interest.