By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi: The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) plans to reduce the syllabus by 50 percent for grades 1 to 12 from the next academic year.
In this connection, the ministry has sought suggestions from various groups, according to a press release dated March 5.
The objective of seeking suggestions is to make the content more balanced in various subjects offered from grade I to XII.
Federal Minister of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar has noted an urgent need to rationalize the school curriculum because the objective of education is to prepare a good human being from the system.
Along with academic education, life skills, experiential learning, physical education and creative skills are needed. We need to develop the system where students get time for each of this and can progress in the areas which he or she likes most.
Therefore there is a continuous demand of rationalization of the syllabus which many people believe is too heavy and inappropriate for age, Javadekar explained.
The HRD Minister has urged all stakeholders including teachers, headmasters, school management, educationalists, parents, students, NGO’s, experts, public representatives and anybody who has interest and opinion on this issue to send their suggestions.
The suggestions can be made from March 5 to April 6. The suggestions should be precise and may be given online in the prescribed format. Personal details of the persons submitting suggestions will remain confidential.
The objective of seeking suggestions is to make the content more balanced in various subjects.
In the aftermath of this letter, Salesian Father Joseph Manipadam, secretary, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) Office for Education and Culture, New Delhi, has urged all regional secretaries of education offices of the Catholic Church in India to form a study committee and make suggestions on the mater.
The Catholic Church runs nearly 15,000 colleges and schools in India, more than 40 percent of the total provided by all Christian denominations.