Schools Students to Study Lesser Books, NCERT asks Experts to Review Syllabi

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has decided to reduce the syllabus and textbooks for the academic sessions 2022-23 for all classes. On December 15, NCERT Director-in-Charge Sridhar Srivastava ordered the heads of departments to conduct a review involving internal and external experts to discuss the topics that can be excluded from the syllabus this time.

The council took the decision due to the disruption in the learning process caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As cases have increased in the last few days, several schools have been shut and teachers and students have resorted to online classes. The decision to “lighten” school textbooks for the 2022-23 session has been taken in view of the struggle of students in the learning process. The heads of departments were asked to submit the report by December 28.

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Several boards have been reducing the syllabus due to the disruption caused by the pandemic. CBSE reduced the syllabus by 30 per cent for both 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic sessions, however, that is only for classes 9 to 12. Telangana board cut the syllabus by 30 per cent for class 12, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh for classes 10 and 12, and UPMSP for classes 9 to 12.

According to reports, the NCERT director has been advised by the experts to send the textbooks with the proposed changes for publication for the academic session 2022-23. The new textbooks based on National Curriculum Framework (NCF) are likely to be introduced by NCERT from the academic session 2023-24.

The council is revising the curriculum as part of the NCF which is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The framework consists of the guidelines of the subjects and materials to be taught in schools and NCERT is already working on it.

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Earlier, the Parliament panel had suggested to NCERT to include lesser-known freedom fighters in the school textbooks. It also asked the council to relook at the guidelines for writing history textbooks and to give equal weightage to all the periods and events of the past. It had also asked to incorporate the history of the Vedas along with Sikh and Maratha history. “Un-historical facts and distortions” about India’s national heroes from textbooks must be removed, the panel had said.

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