New Delhi, 4 June 2021 – The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is planning to introduce new skilling subjects like Data Science and Coding for Classes 6 to 12 from the academic year 2021-22. CBSE has partnered with the multinational technology company, Microsoft, to create an age-appropriate curriculum for both of these highly sought subjects.
As per their planning, Coding will be introduced to the students of classes 6 to 8, whereas the Data Science curriculum will be taught to classes 8 to 12 students.
Announcing the same, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank stated through his Twitter handle, “Under #NEP2020, we promised to introduce coding & data science in schools. Today, I’m happy to see #CBSE fulfilling the promise right in the session of the year 2021 itself. In association with @Microsoft, @cbseindia29 is empowering India’s future generations with new-age skills.”
Under #NEP2020, we promised to introduce coding & data science in schools. Today, I’m happy to see #CBSE fulfilling the promise right in the session of yr 2021 itself. In association with @Microsoft, @cbseindia29 is empowering India’s future generations with new-age skills. Kudos pic.twitter.com/VJIWwi2GNW
— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) June 4, 2021
Navtez Bal, Executive Director, Public Sector, Microsoft India, added, “We are deeply committed to empowering the students of today to create the world of tomorrow. Our partnership with CBSE is a strong step in that direction.”
Introduction of Coding and Data Science in CBSE Curriculum – Important Points
- The new skill subjects of data science and coding will be introduced for CBSE students at the senior secondary level. The application fee for both subjects would be waived off so that schools can introduce skills subjects without financially burdening the students.
- The supplementary handbooks for both the skill subjects – Coding and Data Science, would be aligned with the structure and pattern of NCERT.
- Besides, CBSE has informed that the handbooks will cover real-life/practical examples, and offer students the required exposure to open-source platforms.
- The courses will also expose the students to Microsoft MakeCode, an open-source platform.
- Students would be able to learn the disciplines including Mathematics, Computer Languages, and Social Sciences in a gamified manner. This would make the topics more interesting while building the foundation for AI-based applications of Data Science.
Introduction of New Skill Subjects – CBSE’s Viewpoint
In a statement, CBSE stated that this new curriculum will mainly focus on computational skills, creativity, problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and above all, hands-on exposure to new technologies. These two new courses are expected to build ‘next generational skills’ in students, which would be in line with the requirements of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Furthermore, CBSE chairperson Manoj Ahuja highlighted the idea of how important it is to impart these skill-based curriculums to students. As the current age is increasingly relying on technology, the new course curricula on Coding and Data Science will equip students with future-ready learning skills.
