with the mechanism of curriculum development. None of the teachers I interviewed have
been invited to any such focus groups or meetings to discuss the issue of curriculum
revision. For them, such meetings happen at a very high-level, and there is no way to be
included in any matters. In my understanding, these decisions are largely governed by
state or local politics. The former mentioned political bureaucracy once again plays a
huge role in such situations. However, it is interesting to note that principals from private
schools ultimately serve on the board of government school curriculum revision
committees. This is puzzling because of the huge divide that exists within the government
and private school systems in India. As mentioned earlier, the government and private
schools in India operate differently and follow completely different sets of curriculum.
Hence, it would be fair to assume that teachers from private schools cannot relate to the
challenges and struggles of government schoolteachers or students. Interestingly, the
Department of Education and NCERT justify this behavior by saying that government
school teachers do not have much experience in curriculum revision. It was stated that,
“Hardly any of the teachers have ever published an article in a journal. They don’t read
much, hence, they have no clue on the workings of the academic world.”
While there is truth in the fact that primary school teachers do not to publish or
keep up with academic readings, it cannot be ignored that they work directly with the
target audience at whom the new curriculum is targeted. Therefore, teachers have
valuable insights on the practical ‘do’s and don’ts’ of curriculum formulation that cannot
be found elsewhere. Unfortunately, they are useful resources being left unexplored and,
consequently, their status is reduced to nothing more than a powerless government
servant.