In a surprising decision, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has opted to remove specific chapters from the recently published textbooks for Class 10 students. Among the omitted chapters are the Periodic Classification of Elements, Democracy and Diversity, Challenges to Democracy, as well as a page on Political Parties. Furthermore, the chapter on environmental sustainability and sources of energy has also been excluded.
The rationale behind this move, as stated by the NCERT, is to alleviate the academic burden on students, particularly considering the challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This decision aligns with the National Education Policy 2020, which emphasizes the reduction of content load and the promotion of experiential learning. The NCERT further explained that the textbooks were rationalized while taking into account the pre-established Learning Outcomes.
“The rationalization of textbook content aimed to prevent overlap with similar topics covered in other subjects within the same class. We also considered the difficulty level, relevance in the current context, and accessibility for self-learning or peer-learning,” elaborated the NCERT on its website.
As news of these exclusions spreads, debates ensue regarding the potential implications of this decision. Students eagerly await further updates and guidance from their teachers to navigate this unexpected change in their curriculum.