Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board may cut 30% syllabus for Classes 10, 12

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) students of Class 10 and Class 12 are likely to have a truncated syllabus this year as well.
The state education department is planning to cut 30% syllabus for about 9-lakh Class 10 and about 7-lakh Class 12 students due to the Covid-19 pandemic, said sources close to the development. The decision is on the lines of the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) which announced reduction in syllabus by 30% last month, according to sources.
A committee has been formed by GSHSEB to look into the matter and submit its findings to the state education department. “The committee will recommend 30% cut in syllabus after taking into consideration various aspects, especially the continuity factor in further studies. The government will take a final call on the extent to which the syllabus is to be truncated,” said an official.
The syllabus will be revised only for the academic year 2021-22. In Class 10 and Class 12 the GSHSEB conducted board examination, questions will not be asked from the chapters that have been excluded from the syllabus. Similarly, the committee will ensure that chapters that are important for competitive exams are not excluded, said sources. Apart from deciding to continue the shortened syllabuses for the second year in a row, the GSHSEB will also release the term-wise syllabus for Class 10 and Class 12 to all schools.
State education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama did not respond to calls to his mobile phone. In September 2020, the state education department had announced to reduce the syllabus by 30% for Class 9 to Class 12 students amid Covid-19 situation for the academic year 2020-21 as students were learning through online mode. This year also the pandemic situation has forced schools to remain closed in the first quarter of the academic year and schools are teaching students online. The government has allowed re-opening of schools for in-person classroom studies for Class 9 to Class 12 students from the month of July with only 50% of the total student strength.