Syllabus yet to be completed

Mumbai: As the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) students get ready to take their preliminary examinations in January, the city schools are yet to complete a vast portion of the syllabus. Meanwhile, the board has already sent the question paper pattern to schools.

This academic year, the syllabus for SSC examination was changed and several new sections were added to the subjects. The schools have just reop-ened after Diwali break, and they only have a month and a half to complete everything and prepare for the preliminary exams. Furthermore, this year, the 20 mark oral exams i.e., internal assessment has been scrapped due to which students will now have to attempt 100 marks paper instead of 80 marks.

Meanwhile, schools and teachers have asked the Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research, popularly called Balbharati, to revise the curriculum next year because it is burdening the students.

The Asian Age had earlier reported on how the Maharashtra State Board and the state education department is making the syllabus better by adding additional lessons and activities for the betterment of students. The new syllabus include ‘activity-based learning’ in lessons and subjects. New chapters have been added in subjects like English, Hindi, Marathi, Science and Mathematics.

Rajesh Pandya, a teacher, explained how  the situation has become difficult for both teachers and students. “The Students have just arrived from their Diwali vacation and they already have board pressure. Also they have a new thing, which is their academics. Till class 8, these students had the ‘no detention policy’, which made it easier for them. However, now, there is no such thing so everything has suddenly become difficult. We teachers want the best for the child but we can clearly see how they are struggling with all these new things.”

He further added, “We will be asking the Balbharti to either revise the syllabus or drop some of the lessons from next year.”