West Bengal govt accepts expert panel’s recommendation to reduce syllabus for classes 10th and 12th for 2020-21

The West Bengal government has accepted the recommendations of an expert panel to reduce the curriculum at secondary and higher secondary levels due to the pandemic, Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said Wednesday.

The syllabus reforms committee, the secondary board and higher secondary councils have suggested changes in the Madhyamik (class 10) and Uchha Madhyamik (class 12) curriculum for the 2020-21 academic year due to the COVID-19 situation, Chatterjee told reporters.

“We have accepted their report for reducing the syllabus load at the secondary and higher secondary levels,” the minister said.

An official of the syllabus reforms committee said, there will be a 30-35 per cent cut in the course load at the secondary and higher secondary levels.

In reply to a question, Chatterjee said, West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education will declare, at an appropriate time, dates for holding next year’s secondary and higher secondary exams.

The minister indicated there was no “immediate possibility” of opening state-run or private schools.

The department of school education will ensure that “schools take necessary measures for maintaining COVID-19 safety norms before they reopen”, he said.