In what could come as a relief to school students and set them free for activities other than academics, HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said that the current NCERT school syllabus will be halved from the 2019 session.
Why this move
- The school syllabus was more than that of BA and BCom courses, and it needed to be reduced by half so that students get time for other activities for their all-round development, the minister said.
- The reduction in syllabus will be applicable from class I-XII, according to sources.
Other reforms on the anvil
Examinations and detentions would be introduced to bring reforms in school education. “Without examination, there is no competition and no target. There must be an element of competition for better outcomes,” he said. If a student fails in March, he will get another chance in May. If student flunks both the times, then only he/she will be detained, Javadekar said.
A similar move was taken by the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government in 2015. The Delhi govt had reduced the syllabus by 25 per cent to accommodate more skill development and co-curricular activities for students. As a pilot project, they applied the new syllabus to classes VI to VIII, and later extended it to higher classes.
At the stage of development of cognitive skills, students need to be given full freedom. The move will allow students to get time for other activities that will ensure their all-round development.
Prakash Javadekar, Union HRD minister
Experts react
More content does not equal more learning... With a shift in focus from covering content to using content, curriculum design also becomes less a matter of determining “what” to teach than “how” to facilitate learning. It’s a welcome move. It will help to incorporate true holistic education with a scope for other domains.
Surender Sachdeva, principal, DPS, Ahmedabad
Cutting down the syllabus will not change anything. It is the testing pattern, the teaching methodology and inclusion of soft skills that will take students ahead in life.
Padmaja Limaye, teacher, Fr Agnel’s School, Navi Mumbai
The move will enhance the overall quality of learning and help improve the point of reference for the entire student community, not just a few of them.
The focus will now shift to quality deliverance; all this while, it had zeroed in on the completion of the syllabus. This move will also give a considerable boost to the comprehensive development of our children.
Karuna Yadav, principal, Kapil Gyanpeeth School,Mansarovar, Jaipur
The initiative will simplify the syllabus. Broad-basing education by including physical, extra-curricular activities is a step in the right direction. Authorities should consider providing options for children to choose from a diverse curriculum in line with their interests and strengths.
Manjary M K, HoD English, Greets Public School, Ernakulam
Education reforms yield quality education and make students future-ready. But this decision needs a rethink because reducing 50 per cent of the syllabus may not be a viable solution to give students time for other activities. For an all-around development and future competition, a sound academic progress is needed.
Swati Chouhan, principal, CIPS-Kamptee Road, Nagpur
It is a welcome move. A smaller syllabus is likely to lead to deeper learning, not just cramming before the exams. The deeper the understanding, the better the education. Thanks to this measure, teachers will also focus more on learning than rushing through those 24 or more chapters. I am hoping it will take away the stress among children.
Pallavi Sharma, Principal, Mamta Modern Secondary School, Delhi