The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has decided that no cuts will be made to the syllabus for State board schools in the new academic year from July 1, 2021 to April 2022. This decision was taken based on the recommendations of an interim report by a government-appointed expert committee for the prevention and management of the third wave of COVID-19.
The committee, headed by cardiologist Devi Shetty, had recommended that the curriculum in schools be “full and complete as existing without any truncation”.
In the report the committee underscored the importance of “total learning” for students to complete the academic requirements and progress to the next grade, but said that evaluation could be relaxed on the basis of the efficacy of the teaching methods adopted.
ADVERTISEMENT
While the State government is yet to take a call on when children can return to classrooms, the committee recommended it be done in a phased manner. It suggested a hybrid approach to learning if school campuses are facing space constraints as social distancing norms will have to be followed, and proposed an amalgamation of both physical and digital learning.
V. Anbukumar, Commissioner, Public Instruction, said that they are hoping for a “normal academic year”, but are bracing themselves for possible disruptions owing to the predicted third wave. “Whether classes are held online or offline, we are better prepared this year compared to the previous year,” he said.
The department plans to run televised classes on DD Chandana for students of standard V to X. For children of classes I to IV, lessons will be aired on All-India Radio and DD Chandana on weekends. In the previous academic year, students from classes I to V had sessions only on radio and not on DD Chandana.
ADVERTISEMENT
Another major change is that lessons will be conducted for all mediums, Marathi. Telugu, Tamil and Urdu, this year. Last year, lessons were telecast in English and Kannada mediums.