Nepal School Curriculum Revision to Add AI, Coding, Ethics

School Education Curriculum Being Revised: Suggestions to Include AI, Coding and Moral Education

The Ministry of Education and Sports is preparing to revise the National Curriculum Framework for School Education, 2076. The curriculum is being revised to address the changing global environment and Nepal’s domestic needs.

In the suggestions collected for the revision, stakeholders have said that priority should be given to subjects such as moral education, values, artificial intelligence (AI), coding, climate change, skills and entrepreneurship.

According to Mahendra Parajuli, Executive Director of the Curriculum Development Centre, the need to integrate AI and coding into school education has been raised as a priority, considering the rapid development of information technology. He also said that suggestions have been received to effectively incorporate the knowledge and skills required for climate change adaptation, as well as topics related to disaster-related incidents and disaster management, into the curriculum.

Stakeholders have emphasized making the curriculum more streamlined, flexible and practical, while focusing from the school level on the development of skills, vocational knowledge and entrepreneurship alongside education. Suggestions have also been made to make inclusion more effective in the curriculum, teaching methods and assessment system, as well as to effectively implement practices such as “Book-Free Day” and “Bagless Day” in schools.

Similarly, discussions also included suggestions that changing the curriculum alone would not achieve the expected educational outcomes and that teachers’ professional and capacity development, along with teacher preparation, should be prioritized alongside curriculum reform.

Suggestion Collection Process

The task force formed to revise the curriculum conducted programs at 46 centers across all seven provinces to collect suggestions and feedback. Programs were organized at seven centers in Koshi, 10 in Madhesh, five in Bagmati, six in Gandaki, eight in Lumbini, five in Karnali and five in Sudurpashchim.

During the campaign, the team reached municipalities, rural municipalities, schools and classrooms in more than 28 districts and held direct interactions with students, teachers, parents, local governments and other stakeholders. More than 25,000 people participated in the campaign.

According to the Centre, work has already begun on preparing a report incorporating the suggestions received from across the country. The Centre said that the revision of the National Curriculum Framework for School Education, 2076 will move forward through an integrated analysis of suggestions received from stakeholders, 12 thematic papers prepared by experts, and findings from various research reports.