Andhra Pradesh school syllabus to be cut by half by 2020

VISAKHAPATNAM: In a move, which could reduce the curriculum overload, the department of school education of Andhra Pradesh has decided to reduce the school syllabus by 50% on the instructions of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). To achieve this end, the department will conduct a survey in the second half of May to evaluate and collect feedback on the existing syllabus from different stakeholders of society, including teachers, students and parents.

The new curriculum is expected to be rolled out from the 2020-21 academic year. The idea for reducing the syllabus is to make the students understand basic concepts and practical applications and to develop their personality rather than overburdening them with unnecessary information. All the redundant portions will be removed during the rationalisation process.
Speaking to TOI, a state school education official said they are currently preparing a questionnaire for the survey. “The online survey is aimed at covering all the sections of society, including intellectuals, professors, engineers, parents and students. It will have mobile compatibility. We have set a target of collecting opinions from at least 50,000 people.
“The respondent will be provided with an option of downloading the textbooks or a particular chapter before answering the questions. The pruning of curriculum will be applicable to all classes from class I to X and all subjects,” said the official.
The official said the questions will be primarily close-ended, but some ask for the personal comments of the respondents to draw effective answers from them.
“The respondents can rate the existing syllabus. They can also decide what chapters can be retained, what can be done away with, what chapters should be modified or other actions needed to make the textbooks relevant and concise. The survey will go on for about a month. Once the survey is concluded, the suggestions and feedback will be reviewed by the experts to take definite measures to reduce the curriculum. The light curriculum is expected to leave more time for the students to pursue physical education, practical learning and holistic development,” said the official.
Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar had first announced about the syllabus rationalisation in Feb 2018.