BENGALURU: In a relief to schools, the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board announced that the board will reduce syllabus for SSLC students. The department is contemplating truncating it by 20 per cent, as Class 10 students, with crucial board examinations ahead, are behind schedule in finishing the syllabus.
Commissioner for Public Instruction Vishal R has already held talks with the Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT), the academic wing of the Department of Public Instruction. Vishal told TNIE that the department is trying to rationalise the syllabus to 80 per cent for Class 10. The final syllabus has been chalked out and will be released soon.
Unlike other classes, students of Class 10 had been exempt from writing board examinations even during the pandemic. The exam is considered to be a quantifier in terms of their learning outcomes. Since schools have already completed a certain part of syllabus till November, a top DSERT official said the remaining syllabus, to be completed from December to April, will be revised. “Two or four chapters could be reduced,” he added. The previous year, the syllabus was cut by 30 per cent.
The official said they were expecting schools to remain open on Saturday and Sunday to complete the syllabus. However, teachers and school associations approached the department with requests for truncation, as time is limited. The reduction of syllabus comes as a relief to students and teachers. A government school student of Class 10 told TNIE that the previous year, they could not grasp online classes, and offline classes were needed for clearing doubts. Revision classes for Class 9 were also held online, and offline classes started directly with Class 10 syllabus, she rued. “What would be spread across three days is completed a little more than one period.
Social Science, Science and Mathematics have vast syllabus and it’s difficult at this pace,” she said.
Government school teacher RN Vasantha, who has 39 classes in Social Science this academic year, said both teachers and students were stressed. This reduction comes as a huge relief as they will get time for revision. “Classes can be extended till April-end. This gives us enough time to get feedback, revise and hold preparatory tests; 80 per cent syllabus is needed to maintain a minimum level of learning,” she said.
President of Karnataka State High School Teachers’ Association Manjunath H K agreed that it was a burden for children to grasp all lessons as they were away from school for over a year. Lokesh Talikatte, state unit president of Recognised Unaided Private Schools’ Association (RUPSA) said, “This was needed to aid students who could not access online classes earlier. RUPSA, high school teachers and progressive thinkers placed a demand to either postpone exams or reduce the syllabus.”