A competency-based learning approach rooted in Indian Knowledge Systems

When the National Education Policy 2020 was released, it proudly acknowledged the ancient Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) by integrating them into modern school and university curricula. We all were elated that, for the first time, the Indian education system would align with our indigenous culture and heritage — making learning far more meaningful for learners than an education system inherited from three hundred years of colonial rule. Cognizant of the growing demand for a skilled workforce, it also replaced the memory-based learning with a Competency-Based Learning (CBL) approach. Yet we could clearly foresee how challenging IKS integration  was going to be, especially as the learning approach aimed at skill development through an experiential learning.

Challenges of implementation

Despite the inspiring vision of NEP and NCF, teachers had little exposure to Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) and were largely untrained to transact the curriculum through competency-based pedagogy infused with IKS content. 

The big challenge for teachers was that, with the release of the new policy and curriculum framework, school administrators — under pressure for quick compliance — pushed them to implement changes without providing the time, tools, or training required to redesign lessons. Parents, an important stakeholder group, still anchored in marks-driven expectations, were also unsure about the new content and pedagogies.

When I began guiding textbook development for the Bhartiya Shiksha Board, I discovered that although it was more than 70 years since Macaulay and the colonial rulers had left India, no national repository of IKS resources with its grade-wise integration had been created in India. As a result, there were no grade wise IKS syllabus or classroom-ready activities for implementation. 

Turning to the Gurukuls for inspiration, I realised that although they were deeply committed to IKS, many of them were still following the memory-based learning approach focused on memorising long ancient Sanskrit texts rather than using experiential pedagogy involving hands-on activities, real-world contexts, reasoning, and verification. Therefore, they too needed to evolve their teaching methods to equip the students with the skills needed to adapt to the demands of the 21st-century community and workplace.

Why IKS belongs in today’s classrooms

India is the cradle of civilisation where knowledge first evolved. Astronomy, Ayurveda, Astrology, Ganit, Rasayan Shastra, the Ashtadhyayi, Yoga, Vastu Shastra, Sthapatya Veda, Arthashastra, Dhanurveda, Natya Shastra, Krishi Shastra, Jal Shastra, Vriksha Ayurveda, Niti Shastra, and the Geeta–Upanishadic literature all developed through cycles of inquiry, analysis, collaboration, environmental understanding, cultural literacy, and emotional–social intelligence. These competencies emerged naturally as ancient Rishis and Rishikas sought to understand the mysteries of the universe, life, health, society, and nature through discovery or innovation.

India’s knowledge systems are fundamentally rooted in observation, experimentation, and repeated practice for mastery — exactly what competency-based learning demands. IKS provides local context and cultural relevance, transforming abstract textbook concepts into meaningful, real-world experiences. It enables children to build lived understanding — knowledge they can apply confidently in their everyday life.

The Competency-Based Shift (NEP 2020 & NCF 2023) also moved education away from merely completing the syllabus to building the ability to apply learning in real life by asking the ‘Big Question — Can the child do something with what they learn?’ The IKS is therefore fully aligned with competency-based learning approach, which demands real-world application of knowledge through practice, exploration, and problem-solving. The transformation extends to assessment as well — shifting from recall-based tests to performance-based evaluation, where learning is demonstrated and outcomes are expressed as ‘Competent’ or ‘Not Competent.’

What IKS really brings to experiential learning

IKS practices are inherently hands-on and rooted in everyday life. For example:

• Measurement is introduced using हस्त / हथेली (palm span), मुष्टि (fist), कनिष्ठा–मध्यमा दूरी (finger span), व्याम / बाजू फैलाव (arm span), पग / पगडंडी (footsteps), and कदम / पेस (pace count), turning mathematics into a lived and practical experience.
• Agricultural cycles are understood through observing seasons, soil conditions, rainfall patterns, and biodiversity, supported by experimentation and reflection.
• Local architecture demonstrates the use of geometry, material selection, structural design, and climate adaptation — an applied blend of science and art.
• Indigenous games naturally build strategic thinking, teamwork, coordination, and physical literacy while keeping learning joyful.
• Folk stories, local traditions, and performing arts nurture language skills, empathy, imagination, and value-based decision-making, supporting Social-Emotional Learning (SEL).

Together, these learning experiences ensure that knowledge is not memorised but actively constructed.

Designing classroom experiences using IKS

To integrate IKS with competency-based pedagogy, teachers can design projects using Learn → Do → Reflect → Connect cycle. Studying a natural or local phenomenon — for example, a havan kund, a temple tank, a traditional craft such as rangoli, a local medicinal plant or the monsoon pattern —the students observe, measure, model, and record data using simple tools, field notes, and peer discussions.  The process helps them recognise the holistic and interconnected nature of knowledge by linking ideas across science, geography, mathematics, and the arts.

Assessment in IKS + competency-based classrooms                                                                                                       

Assessment in IKS and Competency-based classrooms replaces one-time tests and becomes ongoing, observable, and aligned to demonstrated skills. Since learning in such a classroom involves teachers to discuss and demonstrate the process, the assessment too requires evaluation of student’s competencies through performance tasks assessed using competency-based rubrics, student journals, and evidence portfolios. The traditional methods of memory-based assessment does not work in this  system. 

IKS makes classrooms future-ready

IKS integration in the classroom strengthens students’ identity, confidence, and cultural rootedness, while encouraging sustainability, innovation, collaboration, and problem-solving — key 21st-century workplace skills.

IKS is not an “extra.” It is a powerful pedagogical approach that bridges rural–urban gaps and makes learning inclusive. It creates authentic, affordable, and deeply meaningful learning experiences in the classroom by teaching globally relevant concepts through locally rooted experiences — helping students think globally, act locally, and truly embody the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — One Earth, One Family.

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