NCERT syllabus to reduce by 50% from 2019
What's the story
It's raining good news for schoolchildren across India.
From the academic session starting 2019, NCERT syllabus will be cut down by half, Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Saturday.
This comes a week after the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) announced major reforms in its syllabus to promote creative and critical thinking among students.
Read on to know more.
Details
To help students develop cognitive skills
The move aims to give students more time to ensure their complete all-round development.
Noting that schoolchildren have a syllabus bigger than undergraduate students, Javadekar told Rajya Sabha TV, "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."
Other reforms
Examinations and detentions may be introduced
Javadekar also plans to introduce examinations and detentions as he feels competition and targets are essential for overall growth. A bill proposing the same would be put forward in the Parliament in the next Budget Session.
Student who flunk in March would be given another chance to take the exam in May. They would be detained only if they fail in both the attempts.
Value addition
14 lakh teachers taking skill upgradation program
Further, worried about the poor quality of teachers negatively impacting students' performance, Javadekar revealed that of the 20 lakh educators who were to be trained under the Right to Education Act by 2015, only 5 lakh have been covered.
According to him, more than 14 lakh teachers were taking a skill upgradation program. He is hopeful that it would yield better results.