The task force which was constituted to roll out the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in Karnataka has recommended that the activity-based teaching-learning method adopted under the Nali Kali curriculum be reviewed and revised. The task force also has said that grade three should be separated from grades one and two.
Larger plan
This is part of the larger plan to include early childhood care as part of school education. Currently, early childhood care and education takes place in anganwadis which follow the ‘Chili Pili Plus’ curriculum and comes under the ambit of the Department of Women and Child Development. Some government schools which include the Karnataka Public Schools also have pre-primary classes. As pre-primary education comes under the purview of both anganwadis and government schools in some areas, the task force has suggested mapping of students between 0 to 3 years and 3 to 8 years along with the number of teachers serving them and their locations. “This will provide information for identifying which children will study in anganwadis and the pre-primary sections respectively,” the task force has said.
The Nali-Kali teaching-learning method was rolled out in 1995 as a small UNICEF-assisted pilot project in H.D. Kote, Mysuru. It also helped cater to schools where there were a shortage of teachers as classes one to three are clubbed together. Government school students in grades one to three adopt this method of learning.
Despite being a hit among students as they enjoyed the playful activities, the project later drew criticism as children were not able to pick up writing skills, which in turn affected learning outcomes.
Although the Department of Primary and Secondary Education had decided to roll out Nali Kali 2.0 for the 2018-2019 academic year to upgrade it and make it relevant to the schools, it did not take off. Rishikesh B.S., associate professor at Azim Premji University, who was part of the School Education sub-committee said that students till class two would be a part of the foundational stage and students in classes three, four and five are in the preparatory stage.
