Reduction Of School Syllabus By 50%: A Bane To Education System

In a bid to provide relief to school students, the NCERT syllabus will be reduced by half from the 2019 academic session, as announced by the HRD Minister Mr Prakash Javadekar.
He said, the school syllabus was more than that of B.A and B.Com courses, and it needed to be reduced by half so that students get time for other activities, for their all-round development. 
"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.  (Source: India Times)

The question arises that is it because of the syllabus that students are getting deprived of physical activities? Are the kids stressed and depressed due to the quantum of the course? Aren’t the kids more depressed because of the pressure of scoring more and attending various coaching/tuition classes? Is it the first time in the history of education that kids are covering this amount of course for their board examination? Wasn’t the course more vast and lengthy in the past decades? In the earlier times under UP, Rajasthan and other Boards, students were required to cover the course of IX and X for Secondary Board Exams and the course of Senior Secondary Board Exams included both XI and XII.

In the last 30 years the course of Board examination has only been reduced in the name of reforms and reduction of pressure. I strongly feel that those who are trying to be the champions of the interests of students are in a way making them less competent to face future challenges. Aren’t we also trying to reduce the quality of the course by reducing the quantity by 50% and diluting the standards of the question papers?

Learning is the key to education. There is a standard quantity of knowledge which a child should acquire at a certain age. Let us look at the course and curriculum of other countries.

Many high schools in the United States offer a choice of vocational or college prep curriculum. Schools that offer vocational programs include a very high level of technical specialization, e.g., auto mechanics or carpentry, with a half-day instruction/approved work program in senior year as the purpose of the program is to prepare students for gainful employment without a college degree. The majority of high schools require four English credits to graduate. Generally, three science courses are required. Biology, Chemistry, and Physics are usually offered. Courses such as physical and life science serve as introductory alternatives to those classes. Other science studies include geology, anatomy, astronomy, health, science, environmental science, and forensic science. High school mathematics courses typically include pre-algebra, algebra I, geometry, algebra II w/trigonometry classes. English/Language classes are usually required for four years of high school, although many schools count journalism, public speaking/debate, foreign language, literature, drama, and writing (both technical and creative) classes as English/Language classes. Social science classes include world history, U.S. history, government, and economics. Government and economics classes are sometimes combined as two semesters of a year-long course. Additional study options can include classes in law (constitutional, criminal, or international), criminal justice, sociology, and psychology. (Source:Wikipedia)

In England, full-time education is compulsory for all children aged 5 to 18. Children between the ages of 3 and 5 are entitled to 600 hours per year of optional, state-funded, pre-school education. This can be provided in "playgroups", community childcare centres or nursery classes in schools. At high school level, there are separate stages of vocational education and grammar classes too. A lot of focus is given on literature and drama as well. (Source: Wikipedia)

The syllabus of Singapore is worth emulating. Other countries are also following its curriculum, especially in mathematics. The syllabus is in no way less in quantity thereby maintaining its quality.

Looking at the curriculum of these countries we realize that extracurricular activities are included within the prescribed course and yet the basic course is not reduced. Aren’t we planning to harm the normal classroom teaching and learning process by reduction of the course? Let me talk about another reform which was introduced by CBSE which was the inclusion of value based questions. Was this step successful? Were required values imbibed in the students or was it a futile exercise? Should values be tested or can they at all be tested? This raises a question on the so called reforms which are endlessly taking place in the field of education.

Well, the major question is- Will the government reduce the course of the various entrance tests like AIIMS, NEET, IIT, NLU etc. as per the reduction in the school curriculum? If not, then will this not encourage the students to turn towards the coaching classes? The business of coaching centres is already luring the students away in the name of “extra course”. Will this not be a setback to the overall education system and culture of teaching and learning? When CCE was introduced, students from class 6 onwards started going to coaching centres for NTSE, KVPY, and Science Olympiads etc. Now, with this “reform” at hand won’t the students as well as parents be more inclined towards coaching centres to cover up the “extra” course for various entrance tests? Will this not encourage the vicious business of coaching classes?

 If the problem and issue is the lack of time students get for physical activities then we need to find a solution by involving more physical activities in the daily time table of the child instead of cutting the course into half. It should be made sure that every school has playground facility and it should be made mandatory for the schools both private and government to maintain a playground and give sufficient opportunities to students to use it. Even the parents should be asked to encourage their kids to participate in physical activities and sports, leaving behind the vice of modern gadgets.

Quantity of the course wouldn’t even be an issue if we look at the number of holidays given to the students. Most of the schools work for nearly 200 days only. Some of them work for even less than that. These 200 days include the days of the exams too. If students attend the school for around 260-280 days, the problem of a lengthy course won’t even exist. As per RTE, the minimum time students are required to spend in the school is seven hours. But unfortunately, even this criterion is rarely met in schools. If the number of working days and teaching hours are increased then the balance between the quality and quantity of education will be effectively maintained.

The government should realize that if kids will be taught less in terms of the course then they will head to coaching classes and this will in turn increase the stress. What is required in these times is the upliftment of the quality of teacher’s training so that kids can be taught using stress free methods. To ensure quality learning, attendance should also be given utmost importance. If it is not maintained then the child might miss on important topics thereby facing tension and stress. With better physical activities and balanced routine the present course would never be a burden for our students. The deduction in the quantum of the course isn’t a solution for a more active and stress free future generation. Rather the ways stated above which can enhance the competence of the young minds, is the way to go. Also, I would like to suggest that we should go back to course A and course B in Science and Mathematics as it used to be before. Those students who had aptitude for science and maths were taught and examined from different syllabus than the ones in the other course. We should not try to bring down the quality just in the name of making every one equal.

To conclude, I would like to say that parents, teachers and students need to come together and work in unison to make teaching and learning more effective in schools. For, if they work together, then the successful completion of the present curriculum won’t be a far-fetched dream as it is being projected.