Minister’s plan to make English, maths optional trashed

PUNE: Education minister Vinod Tawde’s proposal of making English and mathematics optional subjects for SSC students has left experts aghast, with some calling his statement a knee-jerk reaction, while others said it’s a regressive step that will leave students unfit to compete in any national or international competitive exams.
Educationists said that better teacher training and assessment methods were the way out rather than making the prime subjects optional.
In the CBSE, all the core subjects are compulsory, with a choice between Hindi and other languages, while the ICSE allows students to drop maths and take up economics or commercial art. But English is compulsory for both.
Tawde told TOI on Tuesday that English and mathematics were feared by many students. “If they fail in them, they tend to discontinue education. Hence, we are looking at an easier option. We have strengthened teaching of both subjects, yet students are failing. It means some students are not able to cope up with these two subjects. In older times, there used to be a matric system, where these two subjects could be dropped,” he said.
Drawing upon the example of a JJ School of Arts professor who had dropped maths when he was in SSC, Tawde said he had told him that if maths had been compulsory, he would never have been an established professor at the famous school.
“Therefore, up to standard VIII, students have to learn these two subjects which is enough to understand the fundamentals. I have asked educationists to give me a nice proposal on how best we can implement this and what alternative or options can be given to the students,” Tawde added.
The idea of making mathematics optional for SSC was proposed by former school education minister Vasant Purke in 2005, former state board chairman Vasant Kalpande told TOI.
“After a series of discussions with teachers, parents and educationists at Pune and Nagpur, the proposal was held in abeyance and lower mathematics was introduced. However, parents were not enthusiastic about the new option. Both English and Mathematics were optional subjects till 1975. They were made compulsory as per the Kothari Commission’s recommendations,” he said.
Other experts said students needed English for a science or commerce based career. “For the others, they can be optional. A few educationists advocate learning in Marathi and cite Germany, Israel, Japan and Russia as examples. But there is little scientific literature written in Marathi. Till such time that all textbooks up to PhD level are in Marathi, we cannot afford to make English optional,” education expert Durgesh Mangeshkar said.
Uday Nare, teacher, Hansraj Morarji Public School, Andheri, said, “Mathematics and English are some of the most important subjects for students irrespective of the career option they want to pick. So instead of giving them the option to skip the subject, it would be better if the government concentrates on the teaching learning methodology and enable children to cope with at least the basics of the subjects.”
Amruta Prabhu, educator and former principal of Lexicon International School, said English and mathematics are necessary for science in the higher classes. All national and state level entrance and competitive exams need both subjects, she added. “Rather than making them optional, teacher training programmes must be strengthened and the assessment pattern changed to make it more child-specific,” she said.
Teachers should be trained to make sure that the student’s fundamental knowledge is good. “Ample practice in both subjects from standard VI will make it easier when they are in standard X. students have to face competition and dropping two essential subjects is not the answer,” Prabhu added.
A CBSE school principal, who did not wish to be named, said English, science, mathematics and social studies are compulsory. “The student gets an option between Hindi and other languages. But making English and maths optional is a bad decision since both are needed for all exams,” the principal added.
Principal of Army Public School Binita Poonekar said, “English is a necessity today and basic maths is required in almost all exams.”
Principal of Vidya Valley School Nalini Sengupta said the state board results showed that maths is a pitfall for most students. “Dropping mathematics is not a bad idea if the student doesn’t feel up to it,” she said.
Nandkumar Kakirde, director and honorary secretary of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan said rather than giving an option to drop the subjects, the teachers should be able to make the subjects exciting from an early stage.
“At Muktangan Science Exploratory Centre, students are encouraged to take up activities based on science and mathematics which helps learning. Such methods should be followed in schools too. Students must know English,” he said.