NCERT to Cut Down Syllabus by Half

In a recent interview, Prakash Javadekar, the Union Minister of Human Resource Development said that the NCERT syllabus will be cut down by half from the academic year of 2019. He stated that the current school syllabus is on par with that of the B.A and B.Com courses and that it needed reduction so that the students can spend time in other activities that will aid their holistic development.

“At the stage of development of cognitive skills, students need to be given full freedom. I have asked NCERT to reduce the syllabus by half and it will be effective from the 2019 academic session,” he said. This comes as a welcome relief to school students who may feel burdened by the existing syllabus.

Mr.Javadekar explained that the examinations would stay because, “Without examination, there is no competition and no target. There must be an element of competition for better outcomes.” The minister added, “If a student fails in March, he/she would get another chance in May. If a student flunks both times, then only he/she would be detained.” He highlighted that a bill introducing examinations and detentions as a part of school education reforms will be considered in the next budget session of the Parliament.

He also drew special attention over the poor quality of teachers, which he said was responsible for the poor learning outcomes of students. “The basic task of teachers is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of students and mentor them accordingly,” he concluded.