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‘Govt wants WhatsApp university education’: Opposition hits out over CBSE syllabus change

The CBSE on Wednesday said the trimming of the syllabus was 'just a one-time measure' necessitated by the Covid-19 crisis.

The CBSE said while questions on the deleted topics will not be asked in the board examination or internal assessment, the topics will still be taught under the alternative academic calendar. (File)

Opposition leaders on Wednesday hit out the Centre over the Central Board of Secondary Education’s decision to drop topics such as “federalism, citizenship and secularism” while trimming the curriculum amid Covid-19.

The deletions from the political science curriculum of Class 11 for the academic year 2020-21 were made on the direction of the HRD ministry, which asked the CBSE to reduce the syllabus for Classes 9 to 12 by 30 per cent to make up for the academic loss caused by the pandemic and the subsequent closure of schools.

The board has also removed sub-sections such as ‘Why do we need Local Governments?’ and ‘Growth of Local Government in India’ from the curriculum. While these topics will not be in the syllabus, teachers have been asked to explain to the students of their relevance.

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The CBSE Wednesday clarified the move was just a one-time measure. It reiterated that while questions on the deleted topics will not be asked in the board examination or internal assessment, the topics will still be taught under the alternative academic calendar.

Shocked, strongly object to CBSE’s move: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she is “shocked” to know that the government has dropped topics like Citizenship, Federalism, Secularism and Partition from the CBSE syllabus.

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“Shocked to know that the Central Govt has dropped topics like Citizenship, Federalism, Secularism & Partition in the name of reducing CBSE course during Covid-19 crisis,” Banerjee said in a tweet.

“We strongly object to this and appeal to the HRD Ministry, Government of India to ensure these vital lessons aren’t curtailed at any cost,” Banerjee added.

Deletedpol Science 2020-21 by The Indian Express on Scribd

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CBSE’s decision ‘unilateral, undemocratic’: Sharad Yadav

Opposition leader Sharad Yadav also criticised CBSE’s move. “As per media reports, the government has decided to delete some important chapters in the garb of reduction of 30 per cent course in the syllabus for students for the academic year 2020-21 in view of the coronavirus crisis. It is a unilateral and undemocratic step. I would say that this is a step towards finishing the democracy in the country,” he said in a statement.

Yadav asked how a student could understand the Constitution of India without a chapter on federalism, or the country’s history without understanding social movements.

MHRD wants education based on ‘WhatsApp university’ forwards: BSP MP

BSP MP Kunwar Danish Ali also took a dig at the Ministry of Human Resource Development, saying it wants education based on ‘WhatsApp university’ forwards.

Condemning the government for dropping these chapters, Danish Ali tweeted, “Ministry of Human Resource Development wants education based on ‘WhatsApp university’ forwards.” He also asked if this is an example of turning crisis into opportunity.

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CBSE should explain the rationale behind its move: Manish Sisodia

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that the CBSE should explain the rationale behind dropping certain topics from the school curriculum.

Sisodia said he is hopeful that the CBSE has better reasons for dropping certain topics from the syllabus, than saying it was due to closure of schools.

First uploaded on: 08-07-2020 at 17:48 IST
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