Kathmandu. The task force will collect suggestions from 50,000 experts across the country to improve the curriculum. Suggestions are being collected from experts as the five-year cycle of the National Curriculum Framework 2076 has been completed since the academic year 2080.

At an interaction programme on ‘Review of School Level Curriculum: Views and Suggestions of Stakeholders’ organized by National Campaign for Education (NCE) Nepal here today, taskforce coordinator Dr Balchandra Luitel said that extensive suggestions would be collected by forming 12 thematic areas and committees as per the action plan.

Coordinator Dr Luitel said suggestions would be collected on various issues including competency, vocational and technical education, local knowledge, human values and moral education, arts, sports, health, inclusion, disaster management, mother tongue teaching method, evaluation system and curriculum implementation.

The 98th meeting of the National Curriculum Development and Evaluation Council held on April 24 under the chairmanship of Education Minister Sasmit Pokharel had formed a taskforce under the coordination of Prof Dr Luitel, Dean of the School of Education of Kathmandu University.

Taskforce member Dr Meenakshi Dahal said they would accept the suggestions received from him. Educationist Dr Vidyanath Koirala stressed on the need of making students independent and creative.

Academician Bimal Phuyal said the curriculum should lay emphasis on the foundation of nation building as it is huge in knowledge. Director of Curriculum Development Centre Bijaya Raj Badu said that there were challenges to achieve the target of curriculum, textbook, teacher training, school education monitoring and evaluation by different bodies.

Education analyst Tika Bhattarai said that the curriculum should not be blamed only for the deterioration of education. Former secretary at the Ministry of Education and Sports, Dipendra Bikram Thapa, said that the curriculum should be removed from the precedent of caste-based discrimination.

President of Dalit NGO Federation GB Bishwakarma said that examples of caste-based discrimination should not be allowed in the curriculum. President of Nepal Teachers’ Federation, Laxmi Kishor Subedi, expressed his displeasure over not being included in the taskforce.

The taskforce comprises Dr Lekhnath Poudel, Dr Amina Singh, Pabitra Bahadur Gautam, Dr Pramod Bhatta, Gyanendra Malla, Sagendra Shrestha, Reecha Neupane and Rewati Karki.