VIJAYAWADA: The Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) has reduced the syllabus for Classes 11 and 12 by 30 per cent for both science and arts streams in view of the Covid-19-induced restrictions.
“Chapters have been deleted after careful examination and discussion with education experts, senior professors of all subjects, and chancellors and vice-chancellors of universities. Core topics that are important to understand each subject have been retained,” Education Minister Audimulapu Suresh told TNIE on Monday.
The syllabus has been reduced to compensate for the loss of working days during the 2020-21 academic year due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The number of working days for Intermediate students this academic year has been reduced to 222.
“We usually begin the academic year in July, but this year, we are yet to resume classes, and there has been an almost-two-and-a-half-month delay. The syllabus has been reduced not only on the basis of topics, but also considering how much can be taught in the remaining time this academic year. The aim is to reduce the burden on teachers and students without missing out on important aspects of each subject,” the education minister added. Meanwhile, Suresh added that the government plans to reduce the syllabus for high school students too, and an announcement on this will be made soon.
Students welcome syllabus cut, but await further clarity
In the arts stream, chapters on the advent of European companies in India, Sufism, Indian Constitution, caste system, Turkish invasion and Harappan civilisation have been reduced, while in the science stream, chapters on corrosion, plant reproduction, mineral nutrition, the skeleton, and general principles of metallurgy have been deleted. Chapters related to complex numb e r s , b i - n o rma l theorems and derivations, to name a few, have been deleted f rom the mathematics syllabus. While students are glad that the syllabus has been reduced, some of them expressed concern that they might eventually be impacted negatively.
“We are happy the syllabus has been reduced, but are also worried this might hamper our learning. Chapters are often interlinked, and we should not be required to read the deleted chapters in order to understand the rest. Teachers have said the syllabus has been reduced by experts, but we will come to know how useful it is only when the lectures begin,” said M Tharun, a second-year Intermediate student. Though students are not expected to study the deleted chapters for internal assessments or semester-end exams, it is unclear whether they can be skipped for entrance exams such as EAMCET as well. Students can go through the board’s website (bie.ap.gov.in) to check which chapters have been deleted.