SSC board plans regular upgrade of curriculum

Anahita Mukherji I TNN

Mumbai: At an SSC board meeting in Pune on Thursday, experts in the field of education pointed out the need to regularly update the syllabus, which is currently revamped once in 10 years.

Two years into the brand new SSC syllabus,Vijaysheela Sardesai, chairperson of the state board of education, said
the board is planning a relook at the syllabus, keeping in mind the guidelines laid down by the National Curriculum Framework, 2005.

“The SSC board of studies for math and science also said the level of these subjects is not as high as in the CBSE board and needs to be upgraded, especially since all-India professional entrance tests are based on the CBSE curriculum,’’ said Fr Francis Swamy, board member and principal of Holy Family School, Andheri, who attended Thursday’s meet. “A relook at the curriculum will not just mean adding or subtracting chapters. In view of the NCF 2005,we will also look at new approaches to teaching and learning,’’ says Sardesai.

While the SSC board has three prescribed languages—English, Hindi and Marathi—other boards like ICSE and CBSE have only two. This has resulted in a great deal of angst during admissions, with SSC students pointing out that their scores are lower because of the extra language. At Pune’s board meet, educationists were unanimous about the need to retain all languages, as they felt that neither the state language, nor the national language, could be dispensed with.

While currently, both school report cards and SSC marksheets reflect only academic performance,educationists felt the need for a comprehensive report card reflecting a student’s emotional quotient, extra-curricular skills and personality development.

While teachers have complained of the quality of in-service teacher training workshops,it was suggested that the board call in experts to conduct the training for both teaching and non-teaching staff. Many felt the need for a structured elearning programme for students and teachers in rural parts of Maharashtra.