‘NCERT to trim syllabus to lighten workload’

NEW DELHI: The NCERT syllabus will be reduced by half from the 2019 academic session to provide relief to school students, human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar said on Saturday.

The move is expected to benefit thousands of youngsters who, Javadekar said, are burdened with a syllabus bigger than that of students pursuing their graduate degrees.

“At the stage of development of cognitive skills, students need to be given full freedom. I have asked NCERT to reduce the syllabus by half and it will be effective from the 2019 academic session,” he told Rajya Sabha TV in an interview.

Hindustan Times had reported on February 19 about the NCERT’s moove to reduce the syllabus as well as make make textbooks thinner and bags lighter. The NCERT – National Council of Educational Research and Training – is the government’s think tank on school education.

The minister said there was a need to reduce the syllabus by half to allow students get time for other activities that will ensure their all-round development.

Regarding the much talkedabout New Education Policy, Javadekar said a report in this regard will be submitted by the end of next month and it would be unveiled after necessary approvals.

Javadekar said examinations and detentions would be introduced to bring reforms in school education. He said a Bill in this regard will be considered in Parliament in the next part of the Budget Session.

“Without examination, there is no competition and no target. There must be an element of competition for better outcomes,” he said. If a student fails in March, he would get another chance in May. If student flunks both the times, then only he/she would be detained, Javadekar said.

He also expressed concerned over the poor quality of teachers, which he said was resulting in poor learning outcomes.

“The basic task of teachers is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of students and mentor them accordingly,” he added.

The minister said 20 lakh teachers were to be trained by 2015 under the Right to Education Act, but only five lakh of them could be covered. Over 14 lakh teachers were undergoing a skill upgradation programme. It should lead to better results, he added.

THE REDUCTION OF SYLLABUS IS MEANT TO ALLOW STUDENTS TIME FOR OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT WOULD ENSURE ALLROUND DEVELOPMENT