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On March 28th this year, the Central Board of Secondary Education sent out a flyer to all school principals and educators in the CBSE. The flyer emphatically outlined that the CBSE was notifying all the schools that their curriculum for the academic year 2025-26 was finalised, and will now send materials for schools to implement these changes.
The most important change outlined in the flyer was in making schools implement experiential and project-based learning for this year’s curriculum.
But why? Why is the CBSE prioritising on implementing project-based learning in classrooms?
Take a look at some other educational articles here:
What is Project Based Learning (PBL)?
Project-based learning is a technique through which students solve complex real-world problems. PBL focuses on teaching students their school learning in a way that lets them learn, while also giving them real-world skills they can use for their future.
Project-based learning is a technique that is already implemented in a lot of developed countries, most notably in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and more. It is also a method of teaching that is proven to be extremely effective in teaching students their school studies and their real-world skills. More importantly, it is also fun for the students, who now get to learn physics by launching a water-powered rocket, instead of just solving problems on their books.
The Problems Schools Face in Implementing PBL
Looking at the success PBL has had over the years, the CBSE are now implementing it into Indian schools, not only to improve student learning, but also to make learning more engaging and meaningful.
But while PBL is a must-have, implementing it into a syllabus that already is filled to the brim, and through teachers who already have enough on their plate is a tough task. The parameters of what makes a good project are hard to define without prior knowledge. Understanding how students should go about a project, deciding whether to have a solo or group project, and other questions like that are questions that need some time and thought. Time that teachers generally do not have.
Schools have a major risk of disrupting their academic balance and schedule by implementing PBL without a framework or guidance. While there are more detailed materials from the CBSE that will help guide schools to implement PBL, will it be enough? Schools and teachers already face a lot of pressure from all sides. They are stuck balancing many acts at once. Adding a new large weight on their taskload will only add more pressure to them.
Potential Solutions for Schools
One possible solution to implementing project-based learning in schools is…..
Ahem…
Kruu. We work with some of the top professors and experts around the world to develop interesting projects for students to learn from. Using PBL, we make projects a fun, engaging, and a deep-learning experience for students. We also train teachers in PBL and help them implement their projects effectively in class. And we do all of this at an affordable price.
The added benefits provided by letting students work with global experts provides them with a form of project-based learning that no school can implement without great cost.
The other, more drastic solution would be to rebuild from the ground up. To overhaul the syllabus and teaching styles used in the school and change them to inculcate project-based learning better.
A Shining Light
The shining example of this approach would be Excel Public School. Founded in 2009, Excel Public School was built to offer experiential learning to all of its students. They have multiple facilities, like the Skill Development Programme (SDP), which focus on providing students with project-based learning. They are taught from a very young age to apply their learning to real life situations. Whether it be building a robot in class, or in using physics to build a strong bridge using lego pieces.
Excel is very well regarded for this integration. The school regularly gets featured on the top newspapers in India, and has students who consistently perform well, academically and in their careers.
They are ahead of the curve, as they have already incorporated experiential learning into their curriculum. But this integration, while early, is not easy. A significant amount of resources is needed to build a campus and faculty around experiential learning. The campus needs to have plenty of space, and area for this to take place. And that is not including the monetary costs associated with running these projects. There is also the cost of either bringing in, or training teachers well-versed in experiential learning as well.
Schools all across the country are facing this dilemma. Should they make these large, sweeping changes to their schools? Or can they bring an effective solution to give their students the best education possible from the outside?
The schools must decide now, because if they don’t hop on this train, they will get left behind.
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