Several education systems of the world that we know have been using structured curricula for transferring knowledge to the student community for years. In school education, a curriculum is developed as a framework that determines what faculties will teach and what students will learn by integrating theoretical as well as practical knowledge in varied ratios. Even though curriculum-based knowledge transfer has been practised by several education systems for years, the role of students expanding from mere knowledge recipients to co-developers of their own curriculum is a less heard aspect in the educational arena.
The curriculum in the Indian education system poses important coordinates. Hence, the involvement of students in the planning of the same is quintessential. The education system of India is in a state of transition with the introduction of NEP 2020. The NEP 2020 introduced innovative approaches to foster holistic learning and life skills enhancement among young generations through school education. Even if the policy has put forward several approaches to restructure the Indian education system, the aspect of incorporating students into the process of curriculum development is overlooked. The policy highlights the student’s role as the key stakeholder but does not explicitly detail mechanisms for students to be involved in the making of national or state curriculum or specific course contents. However, an assessment mechanism integrated with the feedback channel to know the perspectives of students has been suggested by the policy. With all of such transformational initiatives, the possibility of students returning to the same old rote learning pattern is not unexpected if they are not active in the process of curriculum reform.
How could an educational institute make the students’ voice heard in the process of curriculum planning? Or curriculum modification? There are plenty of possibilities for taking a perspective tour among the students. Structured strategies can be implemented to see the curriculum through the lens of students. Well-structured focus group discussions, surveys and student interviews can effectively capture the students’ interests in the curriculum modification or development. The educational institutes could attempt to provide a fair environment to get real-time feedback from the students regarding what they actually want in their learning space. However, students’ viewpoints will only make it into the curriculum if they are encouraged to communicate their thoughts and the teaching community is willing to include them in the process of teaching.
Education systems in nations such as Finland and Singapore emphasise student input in the curriculum-building process. The Finnish curriculum system, centred on the national core curriculum, promotes an education system in which local curricula are granted complete autonomy in providing education. The teaching community takes on the role of experts in developing school-based curricula that incorporate student voices. The Singapore education system’s curriculum philosophy puts students first, allowing them to have authority over their learning. Their curriculum creates an educational platform that fosters skills, self-learning, and other important literacies. An education system that uses assessment to solve children’s learning gaps is a progressive approach to preparing learners for a constantly changing world. Curriculum negotiation processes in classrooms, local adaptation, student consultations and student-centred decentralised approaches are some other tactics used by other countries such as the Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia and Canada to transform their curriculum-making process to be participatory.
Certain of such strategies have been utilised by the state government of Kerala, where the state has attempted to reform the curriculum. SCERT of Kerala state has opened a digital platform where general citizens can contribute their opinion on different areas of education, ranging from philosophy of education to parental education (https://kcf.kite.kerala.gov.in/discussion/index.php/home/switchLang/1#).
In addition, schools are instructed to hold student discussions about curriculum reform; the points of discussion will be forwarded to BRCs and subsequently considered for curriculum development.
Incorporation of student ideas into the structured state or national curriculum may take time, as the significant challenge for incorporating student perspectives into the standardised curriculum would be the lack of flexibility of the Indian education system. But we have to keep in mind that a curriculum is not only an instructional document but also the pedagogical practice that is happening in educational institutes. If not making changes to the standardised curriculum, an independent feedback-based curriculum can be implemented in the school spaces or can be incorporated into the teaching practice of that particular institute. As an example, students’ interests can be met by holding workshops, seminars, or camps that include elements to help them improve their skills in their specific areas of interest. This way the room for customisation in the curriculum can be expanded in the curriculum framework.
The Indian education system’s keen focus on academic achievement is a positive aspect. But, considering the fact that societal settings along with technological scenarios are changing day by day, curricular structures with less room for customisation and lack of flexibility may not prepare a student for the ever-changing century. Despite the fact that our rules encourage students and other stakeholders to participate in curriculum development, it is essential that student voices are heard. The extent to which the public education system incorporates student involvement in the process must be thoroughly investigated. Equal engagement of students in the process may be difficult, but a tailored approach to follow students’ desires is a responsibility that the teaching community must consider.
References
- Pallikkutam. (2022, October 10). Progress in developing a new school curriculum for Kerala – Dr Jayaprakash RK, Director, SCERT [Video]. YouTube.
- POSITION PAPER: NATIONAL FOCUS GROUP ON SYSTEMIC REFORMS FOR CURRICULUM CHANGE. (n.d.). In NCERT. NCERT. Retrieved May 10, 2025, from https://www.ncert.nic.in/pdf/focus-group/Systemic_reforms_final.pdf
- Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. (n.d.). National Education Policy 2020. https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NEP_Final_English_0.pdf
- “Singapore Curriculum Philosophy”. MOE, 10 January 2025, https://www.moe.gov.sg/education-in-sg/our-teachers/singapore-curriculum-philosophy. Accessed 22 October 2025.
Vitikka, E., Krokfors, L., & Hurmerinta, E. (2012). THE FINNISH NATIONAL CORE CURRICULUM: STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT. In Niemi, Toom & Kallioniemi (Ed.), Miracle of Education [Journal article]. https://curriculumredesign.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Finnish-National-Core-Curriculum_Vitikka-et-al.-2011.pdf.
