With no physical classes, middle school syllabi may be reduced by up to 50%

With no physical classes, middle school syllabi may be reduced by up to 50%

Updated on : Thursday, Jun 11, 2020, 04.01 AM IST

Kolkata: Schools are planning to provide relief to the students by reducing the load of syllabus between classes VI and VIII, following in the footsteps of the ministry of human resource development.

Several institutes have decided to reduce the curriculum in middle schools from 10% to 50% depending on the reopening dates for in-classroom academic activities.

St James’ School principal TH Ireland said they were likely to reduce the syllabus by up to 50%. “I shall take a call after speaking with the subject coordinators. However, in middle school, we are looking at decreasing the subject load by almost 50%. Online classes are not a replacement for classroom studies. It is also difficult to hold evaluations over the internet,” he said.

He pointed out that topics that do not have relevance in ICSE Class X examinations will be removed from the syllabus. “We shall include matter, which is of significance in the senior classes,” he said.

Another CISCE-affiliated school principal felt he would have to omit only 10% of the syllabus if the classes resume in July. “If we resume classes in August as suggested by HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, we may have to let go of 15% of the curriculum in the middle school,” he said. Even CBSE-affiliated schools have already started to reduce the syllabus. At Birla Bharati School, principal Apala Dutta is considering to remove 30% curriculum at least from the 2020-2021 session. “We have decided to curb the mid-assessment syllabus,” said Datta.

The schools are making omissions based on three aspects. “First, all topics which have relevance in senior classes shall remain in the curriculum. Second, any topic that builds a students’ foundation will remain in the academic year. Third, chapters repeated from earlier classes will be removed,” informed an English academic advisor associated with a CBSE school.

Seema Sapru, principal of The Heritage School, said she would wait for communication and directives from CISCE. “The Council has already suggested a curriculam to the affiliated schools. I shall wait for them to inform us about any reduction in the middle school syllabus,” she said. South Point School has planned for a combination of hybrid and in-classroom studies after academic activities resume. “There will be a reduction in the syllabus for middle school students. We are yet to fix the amount of load to be removed,” said spokesperson Krishna Damani.

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Syllabus to be reduced, HRD Minister seeks suggestions from parents and teachers

Syllabus to be reduced, HRD Minister seeks suggestions from parents and teachers

HRD Minister Ramesh Nishank Pokhriyal has sought inputs from parents and teachers for reducing syllabus and instructional hours during this academic year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

By : India Today Web Desk | New Delhi | June 9, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic that took over the world this year has put a big blow on education and HRD Minister Ramesh Nishank Pokhriyal tweeted on Tuesday calling for parents and teachers to send in their inputs for reducing the syllabus for this academic year.

In view of the current circumstances and after receiving a lot of requests from parents and teachers, we are contemplating the option of reduction in the syllabus and instructional hours for the coming academic year," the HRD minister tweeted.

"I would like to appeal to all teachers, academicians, and educationists to share their point of view on this matter using #SyllabusForStudents2020 on MHRD's or my Twitter and Facebook page so that we can take them into consideration while making a decision," he further said in another tweet.

So, parents and teachers who want their suggestions on reducing syllabus to be heard by the HRD minister need to send across their inputs with the hashtag #SyllabusForStudents2020 on Ramesh Pokhriyal’s Twitter or Facebook pages.

CBSE syllabus once reduced, but likely to be reduced again

With many states yet to take a decision on board exams and final year exams for schools, colleges and universities, the situation is grim. Students, parents and teachers had been calling out for a syllabus reduction for the academic year of 2020-21 for a long time.

Even though the new CBSE syllabus for this year released in early April did make a few changes for classes 9 to 12 to reduce the pressure on students, the unprecedented Covid-19 lockdown that is continuing for almost three months longer has made it clear that further reduction in syllabus is necessary.

The syllabus changes made by CBSE earlier this year was to facilitate better at-home learning and online instruction as the science syllabi for higher classes saw changes in the practicals.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/

CBSE decision to hold remaining board exams from July 1 challenged before SC

CBSE decision to hold remaining board exams from July 1 challenged before SC

The petitioners raised concerns regarding safety of the children who, they submitted, would be exposed to COVID-19 if they were to appear for the exam.

By: Murali Krishnan | Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Jun 10, 2020 20:20 IST

Four parents, whose wards are appearing in Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Board exams, moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking to quash the May 18 decision of the CBSE to hold the remaining examinations for Class X and XII from July 1 to July 15.

The petitioners raised concerns regarding safety of the children who, they submitted, would be exposed to COVID-19 if they were to appear for the exam.

“The (CBSE) notification for holding of the remaining examinations and that too in the month of July, 2020 wherein as per the AIIMS data, the said COVID-19 pandemic would be at its peak, is arbitrary”, the petition stated.

The petitioners prayed that the CBSE results should be declared based on the marks procured in examinations already held and internal assessment marks of those papers for which examinations have not been held yet.

CBSE had conducted examinations till March 18 when it decided to put the exams for the remaining papers on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It then came out with a notification on May 18 to hold examinations for remaining 29 subjects from July 1 to July 15.

The petitioner submitted that after the CBSE notification of May 18, the Ministry of Human Resource and Development had on May 25 announced that the exams would be held across 15,000 centres.

Ensuring proper cleanliness and safety standards as prescribed by government to deal with COVID-19 situation in the 15,000 exam centres would be a herculean task, the petitioner told the court.

“(Covid) cases in India are rising dramatically and as on date there are almost 3,00,000 cases of COVID-19 patients. Moreover, even if it is to be assumed that 50 percent of the cases are asymptomatic, then the said students appearing for these exams could also be potential careers themselves posing a great risk to the other family members”, the plea filed through advocate Rishi Malhotra said.

Source : /www.hindustantimes.com

Back to school? Probably not

Back to school? Probably not

Besides, amid such chaos and uncertainty, the kids are sad, too.

 

Written by Leher Kala | New Delhi | Published: June 8, 2020 11:22:55 am

 

News that primary schools opened across the UK last week prompted speculation on my parents’ WhatsApp group, on the likelihood of restrictions lifting for educational institutions post the summer break in India. Predicting what happens a month from now seems futile when every day reveals new, unsettling information on how worryingly slowly the COVID curve is flattening in India.  Alas, we may be permitted to dream. It’s impossible to ignore signs of virus-fatigue and a restless yearning to return to normal, whatever that might be. More than the lockdown being lifted, the first real sign of normalcy for many of us is to see our kids back in school in a familiar routine.

 

Haryana plans to experiment by beginning with classes for senior grades, on the premise that 15-year-olds can be counted on to understand how crucial social distancing is. Parents remain unsure of the wisdom in opening schools because so many problematic questions persist. Firstly, when children go to school they come into contact with many more people than most adults do at work, providing more opportunity to get infected and in turn, bring the infection back home. Even if primary school here opens by August, how does one ensure 4 to 10-year-olds stay far away from each other? In my opinion, it’s impossible. Is the bus still viable? Is it even fair to expect teachers to function in a classroom environment anymore, which is pretty much the opposite of social distancing? Much as we parents would heave a sigh of relief at the thought of dropping them at the bus stop even on a cold Delhi morning, I fear, it’s going to be a long time before children under 10 see a classroom again.

 

Most people create their professional lives counting on the fact that children, for the large part of the day, will be occupied in school. The pandemic has been hugely disruptive for working parents and students who’ve abruptly had to adjust to so much, not least of which are the questionable academic gains of sitting in front of a screen for four hours a day. Then, there’s the alarming effect of suddenly seeing everyone you know with a mask — I’m sure it can be very intimidating for a young person. As parents, even if you’re vigilant, kids pick up so much just from conversations, or while we’re watching the news. It was worrying for me to notice, my 8-year-old hasn’t complained once about so many drastic changes in her life. It’s probably because Covid-19 worries her too. From a busy school day to music lessons, playdates and birthday parties, her life has become painfully dreary, alone and indoors. In the initial stages of the lockdown, parents tried to organize Zoom playdates for the children but the novelty soon wore off. It’s hard pretending online compares to the real deal, of meeting your friends, face to face.

 

We’re all a bit disheartened and weary by now and when processing this extraordinary health crisis is overwhelming for adults, one can only imagine how confusing it must be for children. My daughter was full of questions when she happened to read in the newspaper that a 12-year-old child died of dehydration, walking home at the height of the lockdown. It’s an instinctive reaction, to want to shield a young mind, from such stories of hideous hardship. I have found, fudging reality leads to more confusion.  Much better to give them the gist of it in a matter-of-fact kind of way — not dwelling on it in detail — but not denying it either. We assume kids don’t need to know what’s going on but they’re on their own devices seeing the same dreadful images we are. If you don’t provide some explanation, the child in all likelihood presumes things are far worse than they actually are. About Covid, I tell my kids they’re living through a surreal time, a time they’ll be telling their grandkids about. Meanwhile, like everyone else, they must stoically bear up and face the remainder of this horrendous year.

 

Source : https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/back-to-school-probably-not-6448266/

JEE Main 2020: Tips and tricks to ace Physics paper

JEE Main 2020: Tips and tricks to ace Physics paper

JEE Main 2020: Here are some tips and tricks to help you prepare for the physics section of the JEE Mains exam.

By : Rajshekhar Ratrey | EDUCATION Updated: Jun 10, 2020 18:56 IST

 

JEE Main 2020: Joint Entrance Examination, or JEE, is an entrance test for admissions in various prestigious engineering colleges in the country. With the exam being postponed this year due to the pandemic, students have got extra time for preparation. Here are some tips and tricks to help you prepare for the physics section of the exam.

 

General points to be taken into consideration:

 JEE Mains, being a competitive exam, it is all about scoring. We have a few smart tactics that can help to optimize your preparation:

 1.It is necessary to have a concrete idea about the whole syllabus and to segregate your strong points.

 2.Avoid those parts where you lag behind and usually take a lot of time and effort.

 3.Always carry small chits of formulae; have a look at them and recollect them in your leisure time to remember formulae in an easy and effective way.

 4.Practice previous years’ papers to have an idea of the trends of questions and take mock tests by setting the exact same time that’s allotted for the exam after learning the concepts.

 5.While learning, NCERT is the most important book to brush up the concepts and HC Verma and DC Pandey are good for practice.

 

 Weightage of important topics:

A large part of the Physics paper in JEE Mains is dominated by questions from: 

Vector and Simple Mathematics {2-3 questions}, 

Mechanics [3-4 questions], 

Electrostatics [2-3 questions], 

Electricity and Magnetism [3-4 questions], 

Wave and Optics [2-4 questions], 

Modern Physics [3-5 questions] and 

Heat and Thermodynamics [2-3 questions]. 

These major topics make almost 65-75% of the complete paper.

Allocation of time to each topic [4-6 hrs/day]:

 •Vector and simple Mathematics- 3 days

• Mechanics - 10-12 days

• Waves and oscillations- 5 days

•Electrostatics- 4-5 days

•Electricity and magnetism- 7-8 days

 

Final revision and question answering tactics:

1.No new concepts should be learned during the final revision.

2.During the final revision, only the short notes prepared by students or trusted sources should be revised instead of the whole book.

3.A day before the exam, sleep adequately, and except very important things nothing should be revised.

4.During the exam, one should make sure there is no extra burden of revision on you, let the mind be calm but confident and content.

5.One must focus on easy questions first [ ~ 50-60% of the whole question paper], then moderate [ 25-35%] and at last the tough questions [15-25%]

6.Students should fill the OMR sheet very carefully without any lag as the whole effort is judged on the basis of the sheet.

Quicker calculations and a strong sense of your fundamentals are what help you in the long run.

Solving good mock tests is important as it gives you an idea of your weak and strong areas and the time taken to solve questions from each topic.

Last year, there were over 11.5 lakh applicants in JEE Main. Students should remember that the best strategy to crack this exam is to keep your mind calm and give it your best shot.

(Author Rajshekhar Ratrey is VP, Educational Content, Toppr. Views expressed here are personal.)

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/

HRD Minister seeks suggestions on reducing syllabus for upcoming batch

Delhi deputy CM and education minister Manish Sisodia had also raised the concern and asked to drop chapters from not only school textbooks but also for JEE Main and NEET entrance exams scheduled to be held next year.

  

By: Education Desk | New Delhi | Updated: June 9, 2020 5:41:39 pm

 

The HRD Minister today said there are plans to reduce the syllabus of the academic year 2020. In a tweet, he mentioned: “In view of the current circumstances and after receiving a lot of requests from parents and teachers, we are contemplating the option of reduction in the syllabus and instructional hours for the coming academic year.”

With a delay in starting classes for the new sessions and a major section of students not being able to attend the online classes due to lack of proper infrastructure, several parents had been demanding to reduce the syllabus for the upcoming batch. In a meeting held recently between Union Minister of Human Resource and Development (HRD) Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and state education minister, Delhi Deputy CM and Education Minister Manish Sisodia had also raised the concern and asked to drop chapters from not only school textbooks but also for JEE Main and NEET entrance exams scheduled to be held next year.

However, what will be removed and what will remain is yet to be decided, for which the minister has sought suggestions. “I would like to appeal to all teachers, academicians, and educationists to share their point of view on this matter using #SyllabusForStudents2020 on MHRD’s or my Twitter and Facebook pages so that we can take them into consideration while making a decision,” he added.

While one of the biggest education boards, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had already said that it is planning to reduce ‘proportionally’, there is no clarity yet on a college-level and entrance exam-level curriculum.

CBSE in an official statement had said that “it will assess the loss of instructional time for a proportionate reduction in curriculum load for exams. In accordance, the course committee of the Board has initiated work on the reduced syllabus in various scenarios.”

 

Source : https://indianexpress.com/article/education/hrd-minister-exam-news-cbse-ncert-school-reopen-seeks-suggestions-on-reducing-syllabus-for-upcoming-batch-6450230/

Parents move SC against CBSE's decision to hold remaining Board exam

 By: TNN | Jun 9, 2020, 06.06 PM IST

NEW DELHI: A group of four parents on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court against CBSE's decision to hold the remaining examination of the Board(XII) from July 1 onwards and pleaded the court to direct that students be given marks on the basis of internal assessment in view of COVID-19 pandemic.

Alleging that the students including their children would be exposed to the pandemic if they come out of their houses to appear in examination to be conducted at 15,000 centres across the country, a group of four parents pleaded the apex court to intervene and stay the decision.

The petition, filed by advocate Rishi Malhotra, contended that many reputed educational institutions and Universities including Delhi university and IITs have decided not to conduct any examination and the CBSE be also directed to not to conduct examination for the remaining subjects. He said that some state Boards including Chhattisgarh have decided against holding any examination to protect students from being exposed to the deadly virus.

"CBSE's notification for holding of the remaining examination is discriminatory and arbitrary and that too in the month of July wherein as per the AIIMS data, the said COVID-19 pandemic would be at its peak.... As done by CBSE in its other 250 schools abroad and various State Boards, the examination scheduled to be conducted in July, should be cancelled and the marks could be allotted on the basis of internal assessment," the petition said.

"CBSE cancelled the examinations of Class X and XII for its 250 odd schools which are situated abroad and has adopted criteria in awarding marks on the basis of either practical exams conducted or internal assessment marks. It is highly regretful that the respondents herein have no genuine concern about putting the lives at peril of all the students pan India and have no explanation whatsoever in insisting upon holding the said examination in India," it said.

 

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/parents-move-sc-against-cbses-decision-to-hold-remaining-board-exam/articleshow/76284211.cms

CBSE Offers Certificate Online Courses for Teachers on DIKSHA Platform

CBSE has launched free certificate online courses for capacity building of its teachers based on select CBSE training manuals

CBSE, through the DIKSHA platform, has announced online training modules for its teachers. The Central Board of Secondary Education is offering online training courses on DIKSHA platform for capacity building of its teachers based on select CBSE training manuals and NCERT’s NISHTHA modules. While two online courses, namely ‘Pedagogy of Environmental Studies’ and ‘Health and Well-being in Schools’ are currently available, more courses will be added in the days to come.

How can Teachers take the Online Courses by CBSE?

CBSE teachers will first need to register themselves on the DIKSHA platform to access and complete the training courses. Those who successfully complete the online courses will also be able to download their digital certificates on DIKSHA from 15 June 2020 onwards. The following are the steps to be taken to access the online training:

1.     Teachers will first have to download the “DIKSHA – Platform for School Education” app from Google PlayStore on their Android mobile phones.

2.     Using the DIKSHA mobile application, teachers will then have to scan the QR codes provided on the CBSE notification to access the free courses.

3.     While more courses will be added, the upcoming courses that teachers can register for are as follows: Pedagogy of Language – 15 June 2020, Learning Outcomes and Pedagogy – 15 June 2020, and Pedagogy of Mathematics – 29 June 2020.

While COVID-19 has lead to closure of schools and colleges, it has provided an opportunity for leveraging technology to ensure continuity of learning and development of students and teachers through online learning. Recently, CBSE also announced online teacher training by CBSE – Centre of Excellences (CoEs). The teachers will be trained for free and will also be provided with an e-certificate.

Posted by: DQINDIA Online

Source : https://www.dqindia.com/cbse-offers-certificate-online-courses-teachers-diksha-platform/

Re-opening of schools, CBSE exams & results, university exams - Here's what HRD Minister said

By : Tulika Tandon | Jun 08, 2020

Union Human Resource Minister, Dr Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank has recently answered all the queries of students across India in an exclusive interview with TimesNow. The minister answered basic issues related to CBSE Board exams, University final year exams, reopening of schools, Governments plan for NEET, JEE etc. Watch the entire interview here.

The interview was conducted by the senior editor Megha Prasad. The interview by the end gave every student the answer to government’s plans and strategies regarding the education sector in India during the outbreak of a pandemic. The most important topics discussed that were discussed are listed below.

1.                 Board exam at home centres:

The minister said that since there is a problem in travelling and reaching the centres of CBSE Board, the students may inform their schools about their location which in turn would be informed to the Board by the school. Thus a child would not have to travel in this tensed atmosphere and reach the centres that are nearest to them to appear for the boards that are to be conducted in July. 

2.           Safety of students giving exams in July: 

When asked if it would be safe to conduct the exams in July as it would be the peak of COVID 19, the minister said that the government will see, observe and then continue the conduct of exams, As of now the Board dates have been decided from July 1 which would be conducted. The guidelines issued by MHA and health ministry would be followed very strictly by the Education ministry.

3.                 NCERT, UGC Taskforce in place:

The minister said that since the student population is more than 33 crore in India the UGC and NCERT task force is very helpful. Shifting to the online mode of teaching has been very fruitful in conducting classes as per the minister. He talked about Diksha, E Pathshala, SWAYAM, etc which are helpful platforms.

4.                 Reopening Schools:

The minister was asked about school reopening safety and social distancing issues. He said that it is quite evident that the parents would be worried about their wards but it would be primarily important for the students to be protected and study in a sanitized way for the government too. He is in talks with state education ministers regularly. The schools in the states would have to follow all guidelines issued by the MHA.

5.                      Entrance Exams delayed:

The students are under a lot of pressure on their entrance exams being delayed. The HRD Minister said the government is trying its best to ensure that the students do not lose a year over the pandemic and thus have decided to conduct entrance exams maintaining all social distancing norms at the centres. Although the number of students is high yet the authorities would maintain the safety of students at all times ad centres have been increased to deal with such problems.

6.                      Lack of resources:

The students of Jammu and Kashmir are specially facing internet issues as there are 2G services in the territory. The HRD Minister said that many classes over television and radio have been started by the government to cover this area and also the studnets have been provided with valuable learning through books and study materials. There has been no break as per him in the learning for the students of J-K.

Watch the entire interview to get exclusive details on all competitive exams, results, steps being taken by the Government and online classes issues faced by students. 

Link : https://www.timesnownews.com/education/article/re-opening-of-schools-cbse-exams-results-university-exams-heres-what-hrd-minister-said-watch-video/603073

CBSE Boards 2020: Holding exams in containment zones dilemma for board

In case the CBSE decides to call students from containment zones to test centres, it may also require permission from the Union home ministry.

By : Amandeep Shukla | Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Jun 09, 2020

As it readies to conduct nationwide exams for classes 10 and 12 in three weeks, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is faced with a dilemma: What to do if candidates in containment areas who cannot appear in the test.

The human resource development ministry has declared that the crucial exams will be held in July in 13,000 schools.

“There can be options like treating these students at par with those in CBSE schools abroad for whom there are no exams. However, these are not simple issues and have to be thoroughly deliberated,” said an official who wished not to be identified.

In case the CBSE decides to call students from containment zones to test centres, it may also require permission from the Union home ministry.

Some officers also point out that a large number of schools in areas like Delhi and many schools like the Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are being used as quarantine centres. For exams to be conducted, these institutions would need to be handed back to the organisations managing them. “The board and the ministry are aware of these matters. However, decisions on such aspects cannot be taken in a hurry. All aspects are being considered,” said the official cited above.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/