Adopting CBSE syllabus knee-jerk reaction: Experts

Academicians have said that the recent decision of the school education department to bring the state board syllabus at par with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) syllabus from class 11 onwards is a knee-jerk reaction and could be detrimental to students. The academicians have suggested that rather than taking such ad hoc decisions, the department should introduce the syllabus in a phased manner from class I onwards.

Soon after the Supreme Court decided that admissions to medical and dental colleges in the country should be done through the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) scores, the state education department decided to adopt the CBSE syllabus from next year as the NEET is based on the CBSE syllabus. With a difference of nearly 15-30 per cent between the state board and CBSE syllabus, academicians said that the decision was welcome but students would face problems adjusting to it.

J.M. Abhyankar, former chairman of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, said, “Adopting the CBSE pattern is a stop gap arrangement but if the state is intent on addressing the issue in a holistic manner they should introduce the same from class 1 onwards. However as the syllabus from class 1 to 8 is prepared by a different department, the state would do well to introduce the same from class 9 onwards,” he said.

He justified his views saying that students needed to get oriented with the CBSE syllabus pattern from class 9 as it would allow them to get used to the same and adapt comfortably. “It is already seen that the students after reaching class 9 face adaptability problems as the syllabus they learnt from class 1 to 8 is not in sync with the class 9 syllabus. Hence it would be better that the same is introduced from class 1 itself,” said Mr Abhyankar.

Another academician, Basanti Roy, former secretary, MSBSHSE, confirmed the difficulty level of students but said that there was much ado about nothing and the changing to CBSE syllabus would not pose a transitional hurdle for students.