Amid debate over the reduction of syllabus by the CBSE, the Board has now stepped in to clarify. The Central Board of Secondary Education on Wednesday said that the abbreviated syllabus would be in place only for one academic year, as students struggle to cope with the circumstantial difficulties created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the last day or so, the decision had been taken by several Boards in the country, based on the recommendations of the HRD Ministry. Minister Dr Pokhraiyal had also tweeted that looking at the "extraordinary situation"CBSE was advised to revise the curriculum and reduce course load for the students of Class 9th to 12th".
This reduction would by around 30% of the total syllabus.
While this decision has been both welcomed and criticised, the CBSE said on Wednesday that its decision was being "interpreted differently".
It reiterated that this is a "one time measure" that has been taken for the academic session 2020-21. The 30% reduction applies to "nearly 190 subjects of class IX to XII" the press note said.
"The objective is to reduce the exam stress of students due to the prevailing health emergency situation and prevent learning gaps," CBSE clarified.
The Board clarified that "no question shall be asked from the reduced syllabus in the Board Exams 20-21 only".
"The schools have also been directed to follow the Alternative Academic Calendar prepared by NCERT for transacting the curriculum Therefore each of the topics that have been wrongly mentioned in media as deleted have been covered under Alternative Academic Calendar of NCERT which is already in force for all the affiliated schools of the Board," the notice added.
Thus, the topics that have been "mentioned as dropped" are being covered, either by the rationalized syllabus or in the Alternative Academic Calendar of NCERT.
Incidentally, among the chapters 'dropped' after the rationalisation exercise are lessons on democracy and diversity, demonetisation, nationalism, secularism, India's relations with its neighbours and growth of local governments in India.
CBSE is not the only board to have reduced its syllabus. CISCE has also shortened the syllabus, keeping the situation in mind.
