In a move to minimize the workload of school students, Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has decided to reduce the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) syllabus by half from the 2019 academic session.
HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the school syllabus was more than that of BA 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.
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“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.
Elaborating on the reforms in school education under consideration, Javadekar said examinations and detentions would be introduced. 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, he added.
He said a Bill in this regard will be considered in Parliament in the next part of the Budget Session.
Javadekar 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.
(With agency inputs)
