Supreme Court refused to entertain a plea seeking common syllabus and curriculum for all the children aged between 6-14 years, across the country. The Supreme court bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud conveyed the pertioner and that these are policy matters and cannot be decided in a court.

The bench raised questions on the intention for such a plea thereby refusing to hear it.

“How can you ask the court to merge one board with the other? These are not the functions of the court,” the bench observed .

A PIL demanding uniform education for all students in India was filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay in June this year. The PIL sought directions to consider the feasibility of the establishment of One Nation One Education Board through the merger of Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, ICSE Board and the Central Board of Secondary Education, CBSE Board.

Is it not possible to have a uniform education syllabus across India?

Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ earlier in December 2019 has clarified regarding the same in Lok Sabha saying “ it will not be possible to have a uniform education syllabus in the country. The National Curriculum Framework (NCF), developed by the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT), sets guidelines and direction for development of syllabi and textbooks at all school stages”. Since education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and a substantial majority of schools are under the jurisdiction of state governments, he said it is for the respective state or union territory governments to decide the syllabus and curriculum.

Background

The PlL was filed on the basis of Article 21A – free and compulsory education by implementing a uniform education system inclusive of a common syllabus and common curriculum. The Plea sought that the syllabus needs to be same for all the educational institutes be it public, private, government-aided or non aided. It may so happen that the languages of teaching may differ but common syllabus can also help to establish a socio-economic parity in the longer run.