Odisha to cut school syllabus in wake of COVID-19 outbreak

The Odisha State Syllabus Committee will hold a meeting to discuss syllabus reduction. After the discussion, the chairman of the committee will submit a report to the board secretary.

The Council of Higher Secondary Education Odisha has announced that it has decided to reduce the school curriculum for 2020-2021. The decision to reduce the syllabus was taken considering the ongoing coronavirus situation in the country due to which the number of working days of school is expected to be low for this academic year. A meeting of the syllabus committee to consider reducing the syllabus will be held through video conferencing.
“Due to COVID-19 pandemic and consequent lockdown, classroom teaching has been adversely affected during the current academic session,” Dr. Pranab Mangaraj, Secretary, CHSE, said in a letter sent to the school principals and board officials.

“With a view to eliciting your views and arriving at a decision in this regard, the meeting of the syllabus committees in different subjects shall be held through video conferencing mode,” Dr Mangaraj said in his letter.

Earlier, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has cut down the syllabus by 30 per cent as a one-time measure for the year 2020-21 for classes 9 to 12. The CBSE reduced the syllabus considering the “extraordinary situation” of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“CBSE and other boards have already taken steps to reduce their syllabus. Keeping in view the unforeseen situation, CHSE, Odisha has been allowed by the government to consider and reduce the syllabus of different subjects during the session 2020-2021,” an official statement stated. In the letter, the board secretary has also asked the committee members to go through the syllabus of different subjects and make “in-depth exercise” regarding which portion of the syllabus to be dropped.

After discussion, the Chairman of the syllabus committee will submit a report to the secretary of CHSE, the letter stated.

After CBSE, many of the other state education boards of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, West Bengal, and Goa had also decided to reduce school syllabus.

Read the official letter here

Read More:

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• UP Board reduces 10th, 12th syllabus by 30%, omits Caste, Democracy and Religion
• HBSE Board Exams 2021: Haryana Board to reduce syllabus for classes 9 to 12
• GSEB Board Exams 2021: Syllabus likely to be reduced by 30%, Know details here

• RBSE Board Exam 2021: Rajasthan Board to reduce syllabus for this academic session

• PSEB Board Exam 2021: Punjab Board to reduce syllabus by 30%, know details here