98 pc results not enough, we must redefine education: Sisodia

New Delhi [India], July 15 (ANI): Delhi government schools have showcased exemplary performance in Class 12 board exams by getting 98 per cent results, but this is not enough and everyone has to work together to take education to the next level, said Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister.
Sisodia was addressing the first joint meeting of Delhi's Curriculum Reform and Delhi Education Board Committees which he had convened here at the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday. He said, "The last five years showed us what we can achieve within the existing education system. Now our aim is to redefine the education system to prepare our students for the challenges of the 21st-century world."
Sisodia announced the constitution of the two committees which will prepare the scheme and framework for formation of Delhi Education Board and Curriculum reforms. In the Annual Budget 2020-21, the government of Delhi had announced its plans for Curriculum Reforms and creating a New Board of Education for Delhi.
"Our vision is to transform the education landscape of Delhi and it is our hope that these two committees would tell us how," the Education Minister said.
The committee for the creation of the framework for the Delhi State Education Board will study global best practices in learning assessment, reimagine current assessment practices and provide a roadmap for an innovative, student-friendly scheme of assessment to be followed by the new Education Board of Delhi. Members of this committee include Prof Ankur Sarin (faculty member, IIM Ahmedabad), Dr Wilima Wadhwa (director of ASER Centre), Ashok Pandey (director of Ahlcon Group of Schools) amongst others.
The committee for the creation of the new curriculum for children up to the age of 14 years will study globally renowned best practices in curriculum and reforms and recommend what is best suited for Delhi. The committee is mandated to re-imagine current curriculum, pedagogical practices and provide a roadmap for an innovative, student-friendly curriculum for the pre-primary, primary and upper primary stages in the schools of Delhi. Members of this committee include Abha Adams (Advisor Education, Step by Step School); Ameeta Wattal (principal, Springdales School); Dr Rukmini Banerji ( CEO, Pratham Education Foundation); Vinod Karate ( Social Entrepreneur and CEO, The Teacher App) amongst others.
The Education Minister said he had convened a joint meeting of these committees, as curriculum and assessment are inextricably linked to each other.
At the meeting, Dr Rukmini Banerji, a member of the Delhi Education Curriculum Committee and CEO, Pratham Education Foundation said, "In India, we see an increase in urbanisation, which is a reality around which our education model should be redesigned. And therefore Delhi can be a good starting point for reimagining how education should be in urban India."
An important point made during the Delhi Education Department's curriculum meeting by Ameeta Wattal, principal of Springdales School, was that special focus should be given to developing students' agency and encouraging students to take ownership of their learning.
Expressing his views, Prof Ankur Sarin, faculty member, IIM Ahmedabad said, " We should try and achieve a balance between the inward-looking mindset and the outward ambition to think beyond Delhi."
Stressing a point, Dr Wilima Wadhwa, a member of the Board Committee of Delhi Education Department, and Director, ASER Centre said, "A proper feedback mechanism needs to be established in the schools so that the students feel motivated to own their learning. It also opens up a channel of communication and scope for improvement at both ends. The students will then feel heard and be more interested." (ANI)