CHENNAI: In view of fewer working days available in 2020-21 following the Covid-19 lockdown, the Tamil Nadu school education department has decided to split the higher secondary syllabus into two - prioritized syllabus and optional syllabus for Classes XI and XII.
Teachers will have to compulsorily teach the topics coming under priority category while they would guide the students to do self-study for portions under optional category.
Though the portions to be moved to optional category is yet to be finalised, sources said around 30% of portions in the syllabus may be made optional for students for this year.
The Tamil Nadu government announced that schools for Classes IX to XII will reopen from November 16. Following the announcement, a team of teachers and subject experts in the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has been tasked with prioritizing the lessons to be taught this year.
"Important topics needed to be taught by the teachers will be under prioritized syllabus and topics which students can learn on their own using other resources like video lessons will be included under optional syllabus," a subject expert said.
Now, subject experts are finalising total hours needed to cover the topics in both categories to prepare the time-table. "If time is available at the end of the academic year, then teachers can teach the topics which are optional or ask students to watch video lessons. In this way, we are not omitting any lessons and the students still can learn all topics if they are interested," the expert said.
The percentage of topics moved to optional syllabus would depend on the number of working days and hours available after the reopening of schools, sources said.
As of now, the board exams to Classes X, XI and XII will likely be postponed to June 2021.
Teachers will have six months to cover the portions. Normally, they would cover 100% topics in eight months time. So, they may be able to cover 80% of the topics in six months, sources added.
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and state boards in states like Telangana and Gujarat have cut 30% of syllabus for Class X and XII in view of the Covid-19 lockdown. But, the Tamil Nadu state board has not taken any decision on cutting the syllabus for Classes XI and XII as there was no announcement on reduction of syllabus for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) from National Testing Agency (NTA). Following the announcement of reopening of schools, the SCERT has now initiated the work to split the syllabus.
Tamil Nadu school education department also announced that it would omit up to 40% of lessons for Classes I to X. But, the omitted lessons have not been released so far.
"Even for Classes from I to X, lessons which are not on priority have been made optional," a teacher said. Students at primary and middle school level may also get work sheets for self-learning.