Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala has demanded that the syllabus in State schools be reduced on the lines of that done by CBSE and ICSE boards in the wake of practical difficulties in learning owing to COVID-19.
In a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Mr. Chennithala sought that the syllabus be trimmed urgently, especially for Class X and XII students.
In a statement here on Saturday, Mr. Chennithala pointed out in the letter that the education sector and students were facing a hard time owing to the pandemic.
There were only a few months to go before the end of the academic year. Keeping in mind the current uncertainty in the education sector, the Union government had cut the syllabus of CBSE/ICSE boards, but the State government was yet to take any action.
It is learnt that the government did not intend to make any changes in the current syllabus. Students and teachers, though, were worried about how the entire syllabus would be completed.
Limitations
The classes telecast on Victers channel had certain limitations. There were complaints that many students could not understand fully what was being taught. There were also concerns about how students with varying academic abilities and backgrounds could grasp the current syllabus solely on the basis of the online classes and how they would express their abilities in the examinations.
Conducting examinations without a cut in the portions to be studied would put students under immense mental stress. Other States too had reduced their syllabus in the wake of COVID-19.
In such a situation, the government should take immediate steps to trim the syllabus for State school students, particularly those in Classes X and XII, Mr. Chennithala said.
