Teachers from State Board schools have called for an announcement to be made at the earliest about the specifics of the portions that are to be reduced from the syllabus.
The Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Association, in an appeal to School Education Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan, sought clarity on the reduced syllabus, at least for senior classes at the earliest. “While we welcome the announcement about the syllabus reduction, better clarity on the same will ensure that students who are taking up the board exams will not have to wait till the last minute. An announcement regarding the portions which have been deleted will also give students better direction and make them more serious about their preparations,” said P.K. Ilamaran, association president.
The government had announced in June that a committee would be looking into the reduction of the syllabus.
“At present, schools conducting online classes have been teaching all the portions. Knowing about the chapters which have been reduced for this year would have saved us a lot of time since online classes progress at a much slower pace than how we teach in school,” said the principal of a private school in Chennai.
Patric Rhymend, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Graduate Teachers’ Federation, said that for Classes 10, 11 and 12, some clarity should be given on when the government is planning to hold board exams.
“With regard to the syllabus reduction for other classes, it is important that there is a tentative reduced syllabus given at the earliest for Class 9 since it forms the foundation for their senior classes. This way, teachers can utilise the next few months from January to prepare the students,” he said.