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The curriculum development process systematically organizes what will be taught, who will be
taught, and how it will be taught. Each component affects and interacts with other components.
For example, what will be taught is affected by who is being taught (e.g., their stage of
development in age, maturity, and education). Methods of how content is taught are affected by
who is being taught, their characteristics, and the setting. In considering the above three essential
components, the following are widely held to be essential considerations in experiential education
in non-formal settings:

Essential Considerations for Curriculum Development:

1. issue/problem/need is identified (issue ® what),
2. characteristics and needs of learners (target audience ® who),
3. changes intended for learners (intended outcomes/objectives ® what the learners
will be able to do),
4. the important and relevant content ®(what),
5. methods to accomplish intended outcomes ®(how),
6. Evaluation strategies for methods, content, and intended outcomes ®(What
works?).

The CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT MODEL on the next page (Figure 1) shows how these
components relate to each other and to the curriculum development process. It begins when an
issue, concern, or problem needs to be addressed. If education or training a segment of the
population will help solve the problem, then curriculum to support an educational effort becomes
a priority with human and financial resources allocated.
The next step is to form a curriculum develop-ment team. The team makes systematic decisions
about the target audience (learner characteristics), intended out-comes (objectives), content,
methods, and evaluation strategies. With input from the curriculum development team, draft
curriculum products are developed, tested, evaluated, and redesigned -if necessary. When the final
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product is produced, volunteer training is conducted. The model shows a circular process where
volunteer training provides feedback for new materials or revisions to the existing curriculum.

Figure 2
PHASES AND STEPS IN CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT (See Figure 2 on the previous
page) further illustrates how the 12 essential steps progress from one to the next. It also shows the
interaction and relationships of the four essential phases of the curriculum development process:
( I) Planning, (II) Content and Methods, (III) Implementation, and (IV) Evaluation and
Reporting. It is important to acknowledge that things do not always work exactly as depicted in a
model!
Each phase has several steps or tasks to complete in logical sequence. These steps are not always
separate and distinct, but may overlap and occur concurrently. For example, the curriculum
development team is involved in all of the steps. Evaluations should occur in most of the steps to
assess progress. The team learns what works and what does not and determines the impact of the
curriculum on learners after it is implemented. Each step logically follows the previous. It would
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make no sense to design learning activities before learner outcomes and content are described and
identified. Similarly, content cannot be determined before learner outcomes are described.
In the experience of the author, and confirmed by other curriculum specialists, the following
curriculum development steps are frequently omitted or slighted. These steps are essential to
successful curriculum development and need to be emphasized.

Essential Curriculum Development Steps Needing Emphasis

1. Needs assessment: if not conducted, wonderful curriculum could be
developed, but the appropriate needs of the target audience may not be met.
2. Involving youth: the target audience and volunteers (or staff) who will be the
implementors of the curriculum must be involved (i.e., they participate as full
members of the curriculum development team).
3. Recruiting and training volunteer facilitators: competent and skilled
curriculum implementors are critical (the printed word
cannot teach experiential group process, it doesn't provide feedback).
4. Evaluating and reporting on the impact of the curriculum: is critical for
securing human and financial support from key policy decision makers and for
assessing whether the curriculum has achieved the intended outcome.

Two types of evaluation are included in the Phases and Steps illustration: (1) Formative provides
feedback during the process of developing the curriculum, and (2) Summative answers questions
about changes (impact) that have occurred in learners because of their learning experiences.
Summative evaluation provides evidence for what works, what does not work, and what needs to
be improved.
In every step of the curriculum development process, the most important task is to keep the learner
(in this case, youth) in mind and involve them in process. For example, the curriculum team
members, who have direct knowledge of the target audience, should be involved in conducting the
needs assessment. From the needs assessment process, the problem areas are identified, gaps
between what youth know and what they need to know are identified, and the scope of the problem
is clarified and defined. The results may prompt decision makers to allocate resources for a
curriculum development team to prepare curriculum materials.
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A brief description of each of the curriculum development steps is described below. After
reviewing these descriptions, you should have a very clear idea of how the steps occur in each of
the phases and what each step includes.
PHASE I: PLANNING
"Nobody plans to fail but failure results from a failure to plan."
The planning phase lays the foundation for all of the curriculum development steps. The steps in
this phase include:

(1) Identify Issue/Problem/Need

↪(2) Form Curriculum Development Team
↪(3) Conduct Needs Assessment and Analysis

(1) Identify Issue/Problem/Need

The need for curriculum development usually emerges from a concern about a major issue or
problem of one or more target audience. This section explores some of the questions that need to
be addressed to define the issue and to develop a statement that will guide the selection of the
members of a curriculum development team. The issue statement also serves to broadly identify,
the scope (what will be included) of the curriculum content.
(2) Form Curriculum Development Team
Once the nature and scope of the issue has been broadly defined, the members of the curriculum
development team can be selected. Topics covered in this section include: (1) the roles and
functions of team members, (2) a process for selecting members of the curriculum development
team, and (3) principles of collaboration and teamwork. The goal is to obtain expertise for the
areas included in the scope of the curriculum content among the team members and develop an
effective team.
(3) Conduct Needs Assessment and Analysis
There are two phases in the needs assessment process. The first is procedures for conducting a
needs assessment. A number of techniques are aimed toward learning what is needed and
by whom relative to the identified issue. Techniques covered in this section include: KAP -
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Survey; focus groups; and environmental scanning.
Analysis, the second part of this needs assessment step, describes techniques on how to use the
data and the results of the information gathered. Included are: ways to identify gaps between
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knowledge and practice; trends emerging from the data; a process to prioritize needs; and
identification of the characteristics of the target audience.
"As the twig is bent, so grows the tree"
PHASE II: CONTENT AND METHODS
Phase II determines intended outcomes (what learners will be able to do after participation in
curriculum activities), the content (what will be taught), and the methods (how it will be taught).
Steps include:

(4) State Intended Outcomes

↪ (5) Select Content
↪(6) Design Experiential Methods

(4) State Intended Outcomes

Once the issue is defined, the curriculum team is formed, the needs assessed, analyzed and
prioritized, the next step is to refine and restate the issue, if needed, and develop the intended
outcomes or educational objectives. An intended outcome states what the learner will be able to
do as a result of participating in the curriculum activities.
This section includes: (1) a definition of intended outcomes, (2) the components of intended
outcomes (condition, performance, and standards), (3) examples of intended outcomes, and (4) an
overview of learning behaviors. A more complete explanation of the types and levels of learning
behaviours is included in the Addendum as well as intended outcome examples from FAO
population education materials.
(5) Select Content
The next challenge in the curriculum development process is selecting content that will make a
real difference in the lives of the learner and ultimately society as a whole. At this point, the
primary questions are: "If the intended outcome is to be attained, what will the learner need to
know? What knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviours will need to be acquired and practiced?"
The scope (breadth of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviours) and the sequence (order) of
the content are also discussed. Intended outcomes of population education with content topics is
provided in the Addendum section as an example and application of how intended outcomes are
linked with content.
(6) Design Experiential Methods
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After the content is selected, the next step is to design activities (learning experiences) to help the
learner achieve appropriate intended outcomes. An experiential learning model and it's
components (i.e., experience, share, process, generalize, and apply) are discussed in this section.
Additional topics include:
1. learning styles and activities appropriate for each style;
2. a list of types of activities (with descriptions);
3. an activity design worksheet for facilitators; and
4. brief discussions on learning environments and delivery modes.
Ten population education sample activity sheets along with tips for facilitators working with youth
and dealing with sensitive topics are included in the Addendum.
PHASE III:IMPLEMENTATION

(7) Produce Curriculum Product

↪(8) Test and Revise Curriculum
↪(9) Recruit and Train Facilitators
↪(10) Implement Curriculum

(7) Produce Curriculum Product

Once the content and experiential methods have been agreed upon, the actual production of
curriculum materials begins. This section includes: 1) suggestions for finding and evaluating
existing materials; 2) evaluation criteria; and 3) suggestions for producing curriculum materials.
(8) Test and Revise Curriculum
This step includes suggestions to select test sites and conduct a formative evaluation of curriculum
materials during the production phase. A sample evaluation form is provided.
(9) Recruit and Train Facilitators
It is a waste of resources to develop curriculum materials if adequate training is not provided for
facilitators to implement it. Suggestions for recruiting appropriate facilitators are provided with a
sample three-day training program.
(10) Implement Curriculum
Effective implementation of newly developed curriculum products is unlikely to occur without
planning. Strategies to promote and use the curriculum are discussed in this step.
PHASE IV: EVALUATION AND REPORTING
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(11) Design Evaluation Strategies
↪(12) Reporting and Securing Resources

(11) Design Evaluation Strategies

Evaluation is a phase in the curriculum development model as well as a specific step. Two types
of evaluation, formative and summative, are used during curriculum development. Formative
evaluations are used during the needs assessment, product development, and testing steps.
Summative evaluations are undertaken to measure and report on the outcomes of the curriculum.
This step reviews evaluation strategies and suggests simple procedures to produce valid and
reliable information. A series of questions are posed to guide the summative evaluation process
and a sample evaluation format is suggested.

Curriculum refers to the means and materials with which students will interact for the purpose of
achieving identified educational outcomes. Arising in medieval Europe was the tritium, an
educational curriculum based upon the study of grammar, rhetoric, and logic. The
later quadrivium (referring to four subjects rather than three as represented by the tritium)
emphasized the study of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. These seven liberal arts
should sound a lot like what you experienced during your formal education.
The emphasis on single subjects persists even today. Very likely you moved from classroom to
classroom, particularly throughout your secondary education, studying a different subject with
each teacher. Yet there was more to your education. Perhaps you participated in athletics, or the
band, or clubs, or student government, or made the choice not to participate in any extracurricular
activities. All of these (including the option not to participate) are part of what we might call the
contemporary curriculum. But there is more. Some educators would say that the curriculum
consists of all the planned experiences that
the school offers as part of its educational responsibility. Then there are those who contend that
the curriculum includes not only the planned, but also the unplanned experiences as well. For
example, incidents of violence that have occurred at a number of schools across the nation are
hardly a planned component of the curriculum. However, the manner in which violence is
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addressed before, during, and after the actual event sends a very definite message about how people
in our culture interact and how the laws of our nation are applied.
Another perspective suggests that curriculum involves organized rather than planned experiences
because any event must flow of its own accord, the outcome not being certain beforehand. For
instance, competitions, whether academic or athletic, can be organized, but the outcomes will
depend on a myriad of factors that cannot be planned. Which brings us to the notion of
emphasizing outcomes versus experiences. This shift to the notion of outcomes is very much in
keeping with the current movement \toward accountability in the public schools, that is, the
perspective that there are indeed specific things that the schools are supposed to accomplish with
children.
Curriculum refers to the means and materials with which students will interact for the purpose of
achieving identified educational outcomes. Arising in medieval Europe was the tritium, an
educational curriculum based upon the study of grammar, rhetoric, and logic. The
later quadrivium (referring to four subjects rather than three as represented by the tritium)
emphasized the study of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. These seven liberal arts
should sound a lot like what you experienced during your formal education.
The emphasis on single subjects persists even today. Very likely you moved from classroom to
classroom, particularly throughout your secondary education, studying a different subject with
each teacher. Yet there was more to your education. Perhaps you participated in athletics, or the
band, or clubs, or student government, or made the choice not to participate in any extracurricular
activities. All of these (including the option not to participate) are part of what we might call the
contemporary curriculum. But there is more. Some educators would say that the curriculum
consists of all the planned experiences that
the school offers as part of its educational responsibility. Then there are those who contend that
the curriculum includes not only the planned, but also the unplanned experiences as well. For
example, incidents of violence that have occurred at a number of schools across the nation are
hardly a planned component of the curriculum. However, the manner in which violence is
addressed before, during, and after the actual event sends a very definite message about how people
in our culture interact and how the laws of our nation are applied.
Another perspective suggests that curriculum involves organized rather than planned experiences
because any event must flow of its own accord, the outcome not being certain beforehand. For
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instance, competitions, whether academic or athletic, can be organized, but the outcomes will
depend on a myriad of factors that cannot be planned. Which brings us to the notion of
emphasizing outcomes versus experiences. This shift to the notion of outcomes is very much in
keeping with the current movement \toward accountability in the public schools, that is, the
perspective that there are indeed specific things that the schools are supposed to accomplish with
children.
A goal is general and long term overall desired outcome for a project. It is bigger in impact than
an objective, is vague, has no specific time frame and is usually not measurable.
Following the conception of scientific idea, the starting point should be to phrase the study
objective. An objective is measurable and operational. It tells specific things you will accomplish
in your project.
The objective should be as clearly and crisply stated as possible. Usually only one or at the most
two objectives should be tackled in one study. If there are more than two objectives, then it may
be appropriate to address the additional objectives through a separate study.
The objectives should be:
• Usually one or two
• Clearly spelled out
• Realistic and measurable
• Achievable in a reasonable frame of time
• Tailor the study design to achieve the objective(s)
Characteristics of Objectives:
1. Specific
Precisely what you intend to accomplish
2. Important
Indicate the relevance/importance
3. Measurable
What you would do/measure
4. Practical
Solution to a problem
5. Realistic
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6. Feasible
7. Evaluable
The objectives should be SMART.
• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time bound

The overall development status of every country depends upon the standard of education prevalent
across that country. It is an era of knowledge based economies, and countries failing in education
find it hard to catch up with the developed world. In other words a country’s economic and cultural
future as well as its scientific and technological growth owe to the academic standards being
maintained by the teachers in its educational institutions. Thus teachers’ contributions are well
acknowledged as builders of the nation and molders of personalities. In fact the key player of every
educational system is the teacher, who is considered the backbone of the entire system all over the
world, and a pivot around which the whole education system revolves. Teacher is the major
implementer of all educational reforms at the grass root level. Teaching without doubt is
considered one of the very noble professions. It offers constant intellectual challenges,
acknowledgement, respect in the society and above all the opportunity to mould the personalities
of a big majority of youth. This centrality qualifies teachers to be the crucial position holders in
creating impact on all aspects of students’ personalities. They are the teachers who bring about
positive behavioural changes in students by grooming and developing their personalities. That is
why it is necessary that they should be adequately equipped with skills and abilities that would
enable them to play an effective role in human development both from national and global
perspectives.

The term “evaluation” generally applies to the process of making a value judgment. In education,
the term “evaluation” is used in reference to operations associated with curricula, programs,
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interventions, methods of teaching and organizational factors. Curriculum evaluation aims to
examine the impact of implemented curriculum on student (learning) achievement so that the
official curriculum can be revised if necessary and to review teaching and learning processes in
the classroom. Curriculum evaluation establishes:

 Specific strengths and weaknesses of a curriculum and its implementation;

 Critical information for strategic changes and policy decisions;
 Inputs needed for improved learning and teaching;
 Indicators for monitoring.

Curriculum evaluation may be an internal activity and process conducted by the various units
within the education system for their own respective purposes. These units may include national
Ministries of Education, regional education authorities, institutional supervision and reporting
systems, departments of education, schools and communities.
Curriculum evaluation may also be external or commissioned review processes. These may be
undertaken regularly by special committees or task forces on the curriculum, or they may be
research-based studies on the state and effectiveness of various aspects of the curriculum and its
implementation. These processes might examine, for example, the effectiveness of curriculum
content, existing pedagogies and instructional approaches, teacher training and textbooks and
instructional materials.

Student assessment
The ultimate goal of curriculum evaluation is to ensure that the curriculum is effective in
promoting improved quality of student learning. Student assessment therefore connotes
assessment of student learning. Assessment of student learning has always been a powerful
influence on how and what teachers teach and is thus an important source of feedback on the
appropriateness implementation of curriculum content.

Fulfilling the diverse objectives of diagnosis, certification and accountability requires different
kinds of assessment instruments and strategies selected to achieve specific purposes. Assessment
of student learning could be summative or formative, and there are various types of tests to address
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different needs such as standardized tests, performance-based tests, ability tests, aptitude tests and
intelligence tests.

National curriculum assessment has had a short but eventful history. The original framework laid
down in the TGAT(1) Report (DES,1987) was based exclusively on Teacher Assessment which
would be moderated by externally set and teacher marked 'Standard Assessment Tasks'. This
framework has been progressively modified as a consequence of political and educational
challenges. These have been chronicled by Dougherty (1995) and Black (1998).

The current assessment framework is still based on Teacher Assessment in subjects other than
English, mathematics and science. In the non-core subjects such as history, geography, music and
design & technology, schools must report Teacher Assessment on an eight level scale to parents
at the end of key stage 3(2). The form of reporting at other key stages is not prescribed. However
the public is more likely to associate national curriculum assessment with the national tests in
English, mathematics and science which are sat at the end of key stages 2(3) and 3 and the teacher
marked, externally set English and mathematics tasks at the end of key stage 1(4). This is not
surprising given the high profile uses of the English and mathematics test results in local and
national performance tables and, at key stage 2, as the basis for national targets of attainment for
2002.

The variations across key stages and between subjects make the task of evaluating the validity of
national curriculum assessment highly complex. For the purpose of this paper I will focus on the
high profile subjects and key stages: English, mathematics and science at key stages 2 and 3. This
focus parallels the accompanying review by Mick Quinlan and Alex Scharaschkin of the reliability
of the national tests in these subjects at these key stages.

Validity is not what it used to be. There was a time when ‘validity is the extent to which a test
measures what it purports to measure’ would pass as a definition. If more detail was required, we
could move into different types of validity: predictive; concurrent; construct; and content - with
the first two combined to give criterion validity.
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Thanks to the work of such as Messick (1989); Cronbach (1988) in America and Gipps (1994) and
Wiliam (1993) in Britain, definitions of validity have moved from the 'naming of parts' to a more
unitary concept:

Validity is an integrated evaluative judgement of the degree to which empirical evidence and
theoretical rationales support the adequacy and appropriateness of inferences and actions based on
test scores or other modes of assessment. (Messick 1989 p13)

Put more simply, validity is a more ‘all-round’ judgement incorporating the consequences of an
assessment - as a measure of the accuracy of the inferences made from the results. This moves
away from seeing it as a fixed attribute of a test, since the same test may be used for different
purposes. The social context is therefore part of the equation:

for a fully unified view of validity, it must also be recognised that the appropriateness,
meaningfulness and usefulness of score-based inferences depend as well on the social
consequences of the testing. Therefore, social values cannot be ignored in considerations of
validity. (Messick, 1989, p.19)

The unitary approach to validity also subsumes considerations about reliability which have
traditionally been treated as a separate construct. This is because confidence in any inferences must
include confidence in the results themselves, any inconsistencies in the administration, marking
and grading will undermine these inferences. In order to overcome validity and reliability being
seen as two competing constructs there is an increasing preference for the use of dependability as
a term which embraces both - 'the intersection of validity and reliability' (Gipps, 1994).

The problem with this broader unified concept of validity is that its very breadth and complexity
make it difficult to work with in practice and this, therefore, encourages continuing neglect of
validity in the monitoring of the quality of assessments. Validation will only flourish if approaches
are developed which help to organise our thinking about important validation questions and to
identify issues which need particularly close scrutiny (Shepard, 1993)

Impact of national curriculum assessment. In the light of these multiple purposes, evaluating
the consequences of national curriculum assessment for pupils, schools, government and 'other
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participants' has to be complex. The outcomes here are paradoxical: the consequences for the
pupils in these high-stakes assessments are limited but for schools, LEAs and government they are
highly significant. The reason that it is limited for students is that little use is made of the feedback
from the tests and Teacher Assessment and the results have limited consequences for individual
pupils. The aim of returning test scripts to schools was to allow teachers to use them to identify
strengths and weaknesses in their pupils' performances. In reality little of this activity seems to
occurs and this represents a lost opportunity in terms of the formative function of the tests. This is
partly a consequence of the timing of the tests - the scripts are returned at the end of the summer
term in which key stage 2 pupils are usually leaving their junior schools and transferring to
secondary school and key stage 3 pupils will be preparing to move onto GCSE courses in Year 10.
While Teacher Assessment can provide this formative function, the high profile nature of the tests
means that little status is given to this activity in these subjects.

The consequences of national curriculum assessment for schools, LEAs and government are far
more significant, though these relate almost entirely to the test results in English and mathematics
- a narrowness of focus which poses threats to validity in terms of links 4-6. The positive
consequences stem from the impact of performance tables and target setting in motivating schools
to improve results. The tests have become an accepted part of school life and are generally seen as
fair in their sampling of the programme of study (see links 5 & 6).

One of the more difficult purposes of the tests is to provide measures of how performance standards
are changing over time. This means that as well as providing 'fair' results for those taking the tests
in a particular year, the tests must also equate with those of previous years so that changes over
time can be monitored. This is necessary because the government has committed itself to reach
national performance targets in 2002 which are based on increased proportions of pupils reaching
level 4 at key stage 2. In education systems such as the USA the function of monitoring standards
over time is seen as a separate system - the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
This has the advantage of being a low-stakes testing programme which only uses a sample of
students and is able to re-use items. This was the approach used by the Assessment of Performance
Unit (APU) in the UK before national tests were introduced.
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These two steps are closely linked in national curriculum assessment. For Crooks et al.
evaluation involves whether those interpreting the assessment information understand it and are
aware of its limitations. The threats here are those of misunderstanding the information; of
‘inadequately supported construct interpretation’ (making unwarranted inferential leaps from
performance to construct); and, of biased interpretation or explanation. This bias may involve
‘making allowances’ in the light of previous knowledge, including treating unexpectedly good
results as an anomaly. Extrapolation deals with how effectively an assessment samples the target
domain. The threats here are that: the conditions of assessment are too constrained - so that they
provide unrepresentative evidence about performance across the whole domain; and, part of the
target domain is not assessed or given little weight.

These are key links for national curriculum assessment. The levels awarded to pupils in both tests
and Teacher Assessment represent their attainments in the programmes of study they have
followed in each subject over at least two years. If the assessment does not reflect these attainments
then it is providing misleading information about national performance in English, mathematics
and science.

National curriculum assessment has the advantage that the ‘target domain’ is specified in the
Programme of Study for the subject at each key stage. These specifications are widely accepted by
subject specialists - though the content of science and the testing of Shakespeare in key stage 3
English have been contentious. Standards of attainment are presented as level descriptions, which
have been welcomed as an improvement on the highly specific Statements of Attainments which
preceded them. Teacher Assessment involves making judgements about performance across the
breadth of the Programme of Study - which counters any threats about constrained assessment and
under-representation of parts of the target domain.

The national curriculum tests, like any conventional examination, are more restricted in what they
can sample. They do not, for example, test all the Attainment Targets in a subject. In English
‘Speaking and Listening’ is assessed only through Teacher Assessment, as are ‘Using and
Applying Mathematics’ and ‘Experimental and Investigative Science’. Even within the Attainment
Targets sampled there is a risk of limited or biased sampling. The complex procedures QCA uses
to ensure effective sampling are described in detail by Quinlan and Scharaschkin. Given the
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breadth of the Programme of Study there are always difficult decisions to be made about the
content of the tests, since these have to be neither too predictable - as this could lead to narrow
‘teaching to the test’ - nor too surprising as this may ‘throw’ pupils, who at 7, 11 and 14 are
relatively inexperienced test takers. In 1997 the use of a poem in the key stage 3 English test as
the stimulus for a reading question lead to complaints because media passages had previously been
used. The claim that this had depressed pupils scores was not substantiated (QCA,1998).

Education plays a vital role in human resource development. It is an instrument for self reliance,
social reconstruction and sustainable economic development. Education helps in reducing poverty
and improving the quality of life leading to better health and survival rates. Education should
therefore, equip the youth of the nation with the required knowledge, skills and competencies
which would enable them to contribute to the overall development of the country. Education is
required to prepare children for a world of rapid change in technology, increasing
interconnectedness, and new forms of employment. In today‘s fast changing world, the young
generation not only requires academic competencies such as literacy, numeracy, and science, but
it also needs other competencies such as teamwork, critical thinking, communication, persistence
and creativity. Curriculum is the most important mean to achieve the national vision and goals.
After the devolution of education to provinces under 18th Constitutional Amendment, uniformity
in curricula and standards has become a matter of great concern. In order to address this concern,
all Federating Units decided to constitute a national coordinating body called National Curriculum
Council (NCC) consisting three members from each Province/Area. One of the main functions of
NCC is to develop a National Curriculum Framework in close consultation with all the
stakeholders. Accordingly, NCC in collaboration and consultation with all Federating Units and
other stakeholders developed NCF. NCF is a national policy document on curriculum to steer the
curriculum development in the country. The National Curriculum Framework provides broader
guidelines on development of subject curriculum, instructional delivery system, assessment and
testing system and professional development of teachers. It will provide guidelines to all
stakeholders to advocate an inclusive, integrated, holistic and comprehensive approach in
development of curriculum in Pakistan. This framework will respond effectively to local, national
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and international priorities to meet the individual learning needs of all students and to provide a
strong foundation for lifelong learning in a constantly changing competitive world. National
Curriculum Framework (NCF) is a policy document which provides guidelines for achieving
national Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives of education through school curricula. NCF
therefore, evolves effective and productive principles, processes, policies and strategies for
curriculum development, its implementation, delivery and subsequent appraisal to see as to what
extent objectives of the curriculum have been achieved. The guiding principles that have been
followed during the development of NCF include: - (a) Constitutional provisions including right
to education (b) Recommendations of Educational Conferences in 1947 and 1951 (c) Provisions
of Educational Policies from 1972-80 to 1998-2010 and 2009 Education had been included in the
Concurrent Legislative List of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973 which meant that education was
a joint function of Federal and Provincial Governments. The Concurrent Legislative List was
abolished through 18th Constitutional Amendment, resultantly, education, including curriculum,
textbooks and all other related matters concerning learning in the schools, are now the sole
responsibility of the provinces and areas . However, considering the curriculum as the most
important means to achieve the national vision and goals, all the Federating Units realized the need
to address these concerns through a national coordinating body which was constituted in the name
of National Curriculum Council (NCC) consisting of three members from each Province and Area;
one each from Curriculum Bureaus, Textbook Boards, and Education Department. NCC functions
under the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training which is mandated to serve as
a professional, advisory and consultative national body to steer and guide the development of
curriculum in close collaboration with all the Federating Units in order to ensure minimum quality
standards from Early Childhood Education to Grade XII. Development of NCF is a step towards
achieving uniform standards in education ensuring national cohesion and interests. National
Curriculum Council approved an outline of the NCF which covers ideological, academic and
socio-cultural concerns of Pakistani society through development of school curriculum and to
oversee its implementation. The objectives of NCF are to provide an appropriate structure to ensure
compatibility in diversity in curriculum to achieve national goals of education; to provide broader
guidelines regarding what all students should know, understand and value on completion of a
specific level of schooling. The NCF suggests flexibility and increased autonomy to provincial,
regional and local education authorities and to classroom teachers to take care of local and regional
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needs within broader perspective of national policies and needs. It webs national education policy
and provincial /regional institutions to be engaged in curriculum development, textual/learning
materials development, delivery system including schools, education managers, teacher training
institutions; and to provide an instrument for accountability in education, to all stakeholders
including public representatives, through curriculum evaluation and feedback. NCF spells out and
provides guidelines for achieving national Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives of education.
NCF has been developed in consultation with all Federating Units. It includes chapters on (i)
Curriculum Development and revision, (ii) textbooks and learning materials, (iii) teacher education
and training, (iv) learning resources and school environment, (v) evaluation and feedback and (vi)
mechanism for coordination among Federating Units, public and private sectors and various
streams of education on curriculum aspects. National Curriculum Council has deliberated upon the
NCF and has approved it unanimously. All the Federating Units will now develop their subject
curriculum as per their needs by following the guidelines given in the NCF which will ultimately
lead to uniformity in diversity and adhering to common educational standards. Federating Units
need to exchange their experiences and curriculum with each other using NCC forum. It is hoped
that in future children in all parts of country will benefit from quality education by following spirit
of the NCF.
Subsequent to that various Educational Policies and programmes were launched in the country to
improve the education system as a whole. A glimpse of these efforts is given hereunder:-
 The Education Policy (1972-80) recommended designing of curricula relevant to nation‘s
changing social and economic needs compatible with ideology of the country. In order to achieve
national cohesion and harmony, the policy recommended implementation of national curriculum
in all federating units.
 The National Education Policy and Implementation Programme 1979 recommended revision,
modernization, and Islamization of curricula to bring it in conformity with Islamic ideals.
 National Education Policy 1992-2002 focused on restructuring the existing educational system
on modern lines in accordance with principles of Islam to create enlightened Muslim society and
to improve the quality of education by revising curricula.
 National Education Policy 1998-2010 stressed on diversifying education system, making
curriculum development a continuous process, popularizing Information Technology and making
the Quran teaching and Islamic principles as an integral part of curricula.
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 National Education Policy 2009 proposed revitalizing the existing education system to cater to
social, political, and spiritual needs of individuals and society. The policy laid emphasis on the
preservation of the ideals, which led to the creation of Pakistan and strengthen the concept of basic
ideology within Islamic ethos. The Policy also recommended development of a common curricular
framework to be applied to educational institutions, both in public and private sectors. The Policy
further recommended to the Government to take steps to bring the public and private sectors in
harmony through common standards, quality and regulatory regimes.
In Pakistan four distinct systems of education and examinations are being followed i.e. public
school system, private school system, Deeni Madaris system and non-formal education system.
Each one follows different curricula and assessment systems resulting in wide range of inequalities
and disparities, uniformity in curricula and standards has, therefore, become a matter of great
concern. The abolition of Concurrent Legislative List under 18th Constitutional Amendment
which fully devolved education to the provinces has added yet another dimension of uniformity in
standards amongst various provinces/areas. This will raise national and global concerns for
uniformity in curricula and standards. The curriculum, textbooks and learning materials, teacher
education and training, examinations and assessment are not an end in the education spectrum as
a whole rather these are means to an end. The ultimate end is the learning and acquisition of
knowledge, skills and dispositions and respect for law, human rights, social norms and traditions
in line with the divine guidance and Constitution of Pakistan as well as national and international
obligations. The curricula, textual materials, teachers, learning resources, assessment and
educational management, therefore, should be designed in a way that the goals of education, as
also mentioned in Chapter 1 are faithfully and completely achieved and the dream of developing
Pakistan as a prosperous nation is fulfilled. A curriculum framework that is developed nationally
in consultation with all the federating units is the answer to all these narratives which should be
based on the ideals of the founder of the nation i.e. Unity, Faith and Discipline.
References:
1. http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/COPs/Pages_documents/Resource_Pac
ks/TTCD/sitemap/Module_8/Module_8.html
2. BLACK, P.J. & WILIAM, D. (1998) Assessment and classroom learning, Assessment in
Education: Principles, Policy and Practice 5, 1.
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3. CRONBACH, L.J. (1988) Five perspectives on validity argument, in :H. WAINER & H.I.
BRAUN (Eds). Test Validity, pp.3-17 (Hillsdale, NJ, Erlbaum).
4. CROOKS, T. J., KANE M.T., & COHEN, A.S (1996) Threats to the Valid Use of
Assessments, Assessment in Education, 3, 3.
5. DAUGHERTY, R. (1995) National Curriculum Assesment. A Review of Policy 1987-
1994 (London, Falmer Press).
6. DES (1988) Task Group on Assessment and Testing: a report (London, Department of
Education and Science and the Welsh Office).
7. DFEE (1999) Weighing the Baby: The report of the Independent Scrutiny Panel on the
1999 Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests in English and mathematics (London, DfEE).
8. https://pctb.punjab.gov.pk/system/files/English%20X_0.pdf (First 5 Chapter)
9. https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/sites/planipolis/files/ressources/pakistan_national_curric
ulum_framework.pdf