Students of 13 Zilla Parishad schools to study state board’s new int’l curriculum from June

Students of state-run schools will now have an opportunity to study international curriculum as a new board called Maharashtra International Education Board (MIEB) is being established by the state. 13 Zilla Parishad (ZP) schools will be converted into international schools as a new international curriculum is being curated by the state with its entire focus on skill-based learning.

Students will get an opportunity to study curriculum of international standards with focus on life skills, experimental learning, self reliance, self sufficiency, regional languages including English language and knowledge. The curriculum will be established from Anganwadi (Kindergarten) till Class 3 in existing ZP schools. 13 schools have been identified in different areas of the state and this curriculum will be practiced from this June.

The curriculum will focus on Attitude, Knowledge, Application, Skills and Habit. Vinod Tawde, State Education Minister of school and higher secondary education, said, "We want to provide skill based learning and knowledge based education to our students throught these schools. The curriculum will focus on overall development of students by understanding their regional background. It will also focus on regional languages with its emphasis on English language."

The infrastructure, teaching methods, environment, learning and framework of curriculum will match the standards of international curriculum. Over 70 teachers have agreed to undergo 22 days of training for this purpose. The curriculum is formulated within framework of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) by a governing council appointed by the education ministry. Tawde added, "Teachers who are keen about being a part of this project will be interviewed and selected. Also, the curriculum is being formulated by the members of governing council who have worked in the field of education in different aspects."

The aim is to go from Local to Global and Known to Unknown. Sonam Wangchuk, a member of the council known as the Phunsukh Wangdu of Ladakh, said, "We will use methods of experimental learning, applied knowledge, details of learning and other innovative methods for learning at an early age." While, Swaroop Sampat, another member who has been working at Nandurbar schools, said, "We are introducing methods like life skills, using medium of drama to instill life skills in students, art of studying through different unique methods and creativity in teaching."

Though the international standards will be adopted, the admission criterias and fees structure will remain the same. Tawde said, "The education of international curriculum for students till Class 3 is free in ZP schools. On the basis of performance of these 13 schools and formulation of curriculum we will extend the curriculum to higher standards." Around 100 schools with this international curriculum will be started by next academic year.

The state government will start 13 ‘international schools’ with specialised curriculum from June this year, and a total of 100 such schools will be started by the next academic year, Education Minister Vinod Tawde said. The government has formed the Maharashtra International Education Board for this purpose, which will be an autonomous body who will decide the curriculum and conduct examinations