Not Reduced, Need Revamped Syllabus, Say Experts as NCERT Looks at Syllabus Cut

As the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is considering to rationalise syllabi for school students in the upcoming academic year, experts feel it is time to look beyond just cutting of topics and chapters. While some are in favour of a revamp of the school textbooks with a new-age outlook, others have expressed concerns and demand careful curation of syllabi which upholds constitutional standards and is aligned with learning benchmarks.

Sarah, a class 12 student from Amity International School, Sector 43, Gurugram said that any lesser syllabus will push students into a ‘comfort zone’ and instead there is a need for ‘modification’ in the existing curriculum.

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It is essential to keep in mind that reduction of the syllabus is not as important as identifying the key skills that are required for students. The focus should be on learning progressions that are carefully thought of and sequenced to make the students’ learning journey meaningful, said Dr Sridhar G, Founder, Deeksha STEM School. National Curriculum Framework (NCF) which we hope will be implemented from the 2023-24 academic year is anyway going to change the existing version of books.

Entrance Aspirants Anyway go Beyond NCERT

Reducing only the syllabus taught in school can in fact add to the pressure of students especially those who aim at the entrance exams like JEE and NEET. These students study beyond textbooks.

“Reducing syllabus at a lower level or higher level definitely will affect. Especially with NEET and JEE, which depend on the full syllabus of NCERT, students have to study irrespective of cutting down the syllabus,” said WR David, Principal (CBSE), JAIN International Residential School, Bengaluru.

Reducing is not going to be of much help as children need to learn outside their textbooks anyway, explains Rachna Rai, PGT English, Amity International School, Sector 6, Vasundhra, Ghaziabad. “Knowledge acquisition of today’s learners is not merely based on textual inputs. They now rely on multiple sources to gather information.”

Long-term solution is needed

Rather than a one-time adjustment, there is a need to set up a “system that can adapt and upgrade curriculum, teaching-learning practices, assessment methods to make education an enriching experience,” said Sharada Jaidev, Associate Manager (Senior School) – Ekya Learning Centre, Bangalore.

The syllabus, however, needs to be carefully curated for the long term and not just due to the pandemic, Jaidev adds. “A short-term solution will solve only a part of the problem and address the immediate needs but not the lasting impact of the pandemic. Any education system should consider adversities such as this as an opportunity to reform and change practices,” she added.

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