Place of Mathematics in School Curriculum 1 CTET Pedagogical Issues. – Curriculum includes all those activities, experiences and environment which the child receives during his educational career under the guidance of educational authorities. Thus curriculum is the total education of the child.
Curriculum touches all the aspects of the life of the pupils- the need and interest of pupils environment which should be educationally congenial to them, ways and manners in which their interest can be kindled warmed up, the procedures and approaches which cause effective learning among them, the social efficiency of the individual and how they fit in with the community around.
In education, the importance and the place of a particular subject depends on the fact that “to what extent the subject is helpful in achieving the aims of the education”. If any subject is more useful for achieving educational objectives then its importance increases accordingly. Since ancient times mathematics has played a vital role in ‘achieving aims of education, as compared to others. Present age is the age of science and information. Whatever, technological and physical progress being made, shall be correspondent to the role of mathematics.
Being so important “What place should be given to mathematics in the curriculum?” in school Kothari Commission has explained about placing mathematics as a compulsory subject up to higher secondary or tenth standard and has said, “Mathematics should be made a compulsory subject for the students of Ist to 10th standard, as a part of general education.” But some people lay more emphasis on making it an optional subject after eight-standard, therefore various reasons were framed against this proposal:
1. It is very difficult subject and its learning requires a sharp brain and intelligence, as many children will face difficulties for gaining the knowledge.
2. It is only an imagination that mental abilities, discipline, culture, social and moral developments can be done by mathematics.
3. The numbers of failures in mathematics in high school examination are more as compared to that of other subjects.
4. Every student can’t become an engineer or a technician, then what is the necessity of mathematics for all.
In this way, the reasons forbidding the compulsion of mathematics up to tenth standard seems to be ideological. All great educationalist like Herbert, Pestalozzi etc. has accepted mathematics as a symbol of human development, Accepting mathematics as a best means of intellectual and cultural developments, these educationists placed mathematics on the top in the curriculum. Thus we can give certain logical points regarding mathematics as a compulsory subject. These are as follows:
1. If mathematics is not given an important place in the curriculum then students would not get any opportunity for mental training and in the absence of which their intellectual development might be affected.
2. For gaining the knowledge of mathematics no innate power is required, which is separate from ability of study of other subject.
3. Training of reasoning, thinking, discipline, self confidence and emotions are developed in students by mathematics.
4. Through mathematics child leads to gain knowledge systematically
5. It is needed either forwardly or adversely for studying almost all the subjects because it is considered as the basis of science and each and every art.
Thus on the basis of above discussion, we can conclude that mathematics is only subject whose knowledge is needed for the whole life. It can be possible only when every child will study mathematics as a compulsory subject up to tenth standard. Mathematics occupy a prominent place in men’s life, from an engineer to technician or labor to finance minister and other businessmen, all needed the’ help of mathematics according to their requirements.