Now Reading: 5.7 lakh students trained in critical thinking across India
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5.7 lakh students trained in critical thinking across India
Over 5.68 lakh students across 3,562 schools in 959 cities and 26 states have participated in the AM/NS India Times Critical Thinking Championship, a programme teaching students to 'stop, think, ask and check' before answering. Nearly three-fourths of participants, or 4.3 lakh students, are in classes 3 to 8, with the highest enrolment from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar.
The championship uses scenario-based questions to help children distinguish fact from opinion, identify assumptions and explain their reasoning. Student participants reported learning to slow down, question competing versions of information and break problems into parts instead of panicking. The initiative aligns with the National Education Policy 2020 and National Curriculum Framework 2023, which aim to shift learning from rote reproduction toward competency and application.
The programme's organisers emphasise that in an era where AI can generate instant answers, the scarcer skill is verification and reasoned judgment. The next phase will expand the programme to more schools, though specific timelines have not been announced.
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India's examination system has long rewarded rote memorisation, with board exam results determining college and job prospects. The shift toward critical thinking, embedded in NEP 2020 and NCF 2023, faces a structural hurdle: teachers trained in the old system, large class sizes, and a curriculum that still tests recall. The TCTC programme, while reaching over 5.6 lakh students, remains a drop in the ocean against roughly 26 crore schoolchildren nationwide. The real test will be whether state boards redesign question papers to test reasoning over memory, especially in the forthcoming board exams of 2025-26. A telltale signal: if marks for 'explain your answer' type questions rise in the next CBSE or state board sample papers released later this year.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
