JKBOSE to rationalise syllabi for secondary, senior secondary classes

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (BOSE) has decided to rationalise the syllabi and textbooks for secondary and senior secondary classes, on the analogy of NCERT New Delhi, from the academic session 2023-24.

The move comes in wake of the guidelines outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which emphasises reducing the content load of textbooks and promoting experiential learning with a creative mindset. "This decision aligns with the steps taken by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in New Delhi," reads a notification issued by director academics JKBOSE.

Notably, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has revised and rationalised the textbooks for classes 6 to 12 for the session 2023–2024. The decision was taken in order to reduce students' workload.

Meanwhile, the JK Board of School Education has intimated all the concerned stakeholders that the rationalized syllabi and textbooks for Classes 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th will be implemented in all schools affiliated with JKBOSE from the current academic session 2023-24. "The exercise has been done following the rationalization model adopted by NCERT," the notification reads.The director academics JKBOSE has further informed that the rationalized syllabi will involve the removal of specific content deemed unnecessary, ensuring a more focused and effective learning experience for students."To facilitate access to the revised syllabi with deleted contents, the JKBOSE website will provide the necessary information in due course," the notification reads.

A JKBOSE official said the decision reflects their commitment of aligning with the NEP-2020 and promoting an enriched educational environment that nurtures creativity and experiential learning. The NCERT earlier stated that the syllabus was rationalised in June 2022 and around 30 percent of the NCERT syllabi was removed as part of the syllabus rationalisation. "Actually the process for rationalisation of syllabus by NCERT was started in December 2021 and was completed in June 2022. The rationalisation was done with the help of a team of subject experts. Similar pattern will be followed by JKBOSE to reduce the load," a JKBOSE official said.