Secondary education curriculum: shift from discipline based approach to skill centred curriculum

Secondary education is a very crucial stage because it prepares children for higher education as well as for world of work. The need to connect education with life cannot be felt more at any other stage than at secondary stage. It is commonly asserted that there is a knowledge gap between the subject matter currently being taught at the secondary school stage and the knowledge and skills that are required if individuals and countries are to be competitive in the globalized world. In a traditional secondary school curriculum, academic subjects are based on complex conceptual reasoning, and thus may not be appropriate for all pupils. There is an urgent need to move away from the traditional disciplinary approach of curriculum design and development to skill centred approach. Skill centred approach helps in moving from content to processes and the development of generic transferable skills. This paper discusses how using skill centred approach, different skills needed to live life successfully, can be identified and then classified in a hierarchical manner. The focus in this approach is not on content alone but rather content will only be used as a means for imparting those identified skills. Thematic approach is used in skill centred approach of curriculum design. A template for thematic skill centred secondary education curriculum is also developed in this paper. This paper also discusses how skill based approach of curriculum design provides a scope for interactive methodology, active learning or in short allows students to take more control of their learning.