Schooling as Counter-Socialization

Abstract

Krishna Kumar grew up in the town of Tikamgarh in the state of Madhya Pradesh (MP) in central India.¹ He pursued his higher education in the University of Sagar (Madhya Pradesh, India) and the University of Toronto (Canada) from where he earned a PhD in Education. He is a professor at the Central Institute of Education, University of Delhi, where he also served as its head and dean. In 2004, he was appointed director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), an autonomous body set up by the Government of India in 1961 to advise and assist central and state governments in improving the quality of school education. During his five-year tenure he oversaw the publication of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF 2005), a document that provides the framework for the development of school curricula, syllabi, textbooks, and teaching and assessment practices in India. NCF (2005) was unique in its design of the processes of nationwide deliberation through which this document was developed. During his tenure, NCERT also undertook the publication of textbooks in all subjects for all levels of schooling.²