Maharashtra reduces 25% syllabus for Classes 1-12 in view of COVID-19

The Maharashtra government on Saturday approved of the proposal submitted by the Maharashtra State Council for Educational Research and Training (MSCERT) to reduce the 25% of the pre-existing syllabus for students of classes 9 to 12, to ease the burden on them but also by retaining the core concepts. This was done in view of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak, explained Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad.

Posting from her official handle on microblogging social media website Twitter, Gaikwad wrote, "In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the proposal submitted by the Maharashtra State Council for Educational Research and Training to reduce the syllabus for Classes 1 to 12 for the academic year 2020-21 have been approved by the government."

राज्य में कोविड 19(कोरोना वायरस) के मद्देनजर राज्य शिक्षा संशोधन एवं प्रशिक्षण परिषद ने शैक्षणिक सत्र 2020-21 के कक्षा 1 से 12 वी तक के पाठक्रम में २५ प्रतिशत कटौती का प्रस्ताव रखा था । राज्य सरकार ने इस प्रस्ताव को अनुमति दी है ।@CMOMaharashtra @bb_thorat @AjitPawarSpeaks pic.twitter.com/kdqJkL3i35

— Varsha Gaikwad (@VarshaEGaikwad) July 25, 2020

Earlier, the Manohar Lal Khattar-led Haryana government had also announced that the pre-existing syllabi for classes 9-12 were being slashed to "reduce the mental pressure on students". The Gujarat government is planning to follow along in this line as well.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had also announced that 30% of the pre-existing syllabus has been reduced for students of classes 9 to 12. The decision was taken on the suggestion of Union Minister for Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.

The Heads of Schools and Teachers have been advised by the Board to ensure that the topics that have been reduced are also explained to the students to the extent required to connect different topics.

However, the reduced syllabus will not be part of the topics for Internal Assessment and year-end Board Examination, an official circular mentioned.

Alternative Academic Calendar and inputs from the NCERT on transacting the curriculum using different strategies shall also be part of the teaching pedagogy in the affiliated schools.