Mumbai: It is not possible to reduce the syllabus of Class 10 Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Class 12 Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) board examinations now, said Varsha Gaikwad, school education minister of Maharashtra on Wednesday.
Currently, the state school education department has reduced 25 per cent syllabus of SSC and HSC board to ease the burden on students preparing for upcoming exams considering lockdown restrictions and Covid-19 pandemic crisis. But students have been demanding a reduction of 50 per cent syllabus stating they have not got enough time to prepare for exams, had to cope with online mode of education and received books and study material late which caused a delay in the academic year.
In response to these demands, Gaikwad said, "We need at least three to four months for the preparation of SSC and HSC board exams. We have already reduced the syllabus by 25 per cent. If we make any changes in the curriculum now or reduce the syllabus any further, we will need an additional three to four months which will defer the SSC and HSC board examinations further and affect the interest of students."
On the other hand, students said the syllabus should be reduced by 50 per cent to award more time for preparation. Anshul Shukhla, a HSC student said, "We received our books by July-August instead of June due to lockdown restrictions. The academic year was delayed and we had to cope with online methods of teaching-learning." While Prathila Sen, a SSC student said, "We have not got sufficient time to practise the 75 per cent syllabus. Also, online education has made it difficult to cope with all lessons and chapters as there are no physical revision or doubt solving lectures."
This year, HSC board theory exams are scheduled to be conducted from April 23 to May 21, 2021 and SSC board theory exams from April 29 to May 20, 2021 via offline mode in Maharashtra.
