BENGALURU: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is likely to change and update the school curriculum from classes 1 to 12 and has invited suggestions from teachers, academics, students, parents and other stakeholders associated with the school education system, as prescribed by the National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) and the CBSE.
Education expert Preethi Vickram told Deccan Chronicle that the syllabus followed by the CBSE includes portions that are too vast when compared with the same followed by international boards, be it International Baccalaureate (IB) or International General Certificate of Secondary Examination (IGCSE).
“CBSE students are not allowed of specialize in anything at the moment and this has to change. The decision to include more life skills to the curriculum is welcoming, as it would help us produce more thinkers and creative minds right from the school level,” she said.
However, the syllabus should be updated in a way that it is balanced to allow students dive deeper to their areas of interest, ensuring they are equipped with the required skills to pursue higher education effectively as well, she added. Educators think that a positive development can be made only by looking into how the learning process is working at the moment rather than debating on what to learn.
“Unless and until we look at the approach given to the process of learning, its higher levels will not espouse good at all. The way exams are conducted should also be changed to ensure that they become equally interesting and challenging, encouraging students to learn in a holistic manner and not merely mug up portions, as they are forced to do now,” said M. Srinivasan, president of the Managements of Independent CBSE Schools Association (MICSA).
