The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) released a statement on Twitter concerning the ongoing debate surrounding alterations made to the science curriculum for Class 10, particularly regarding the modifications of the periodic table.
The content placed in the periodic table again have been made more age appropriate, more so considering the Covid pandemic situation. @EduMinOfIndia @ProfSaklani
— NCERT (@ncert) June 1, 2023
NCERT on June 1 said that chapters on Periodic Classification of Elements, challenges to democracy, political parties and some other topics will be removed from the syllabus for Class 10 to "reduce the content load" considering the pressure in Covid pandemic. They called this removal of chapters a "rationalisation" exercise.
However, students still have the option to study these subjects in Class 11 and 12 if they opt for it.
This decision of the NCERT was widely criticised by scholars, teachers and other experts across the nation.
A similar backlash was observed regarding the removal of The Theory of Biological Evolution from Class 10.
Can a house stand without its foundations? How can you teach chemistry without periodic table? How to teach biology without evolution? @ncert
— Jitender Dublad (@DubladJitender) May 31, 2023
India cuts periodic table and evolution from school textbooks — experts are baffled https://t.co/wXCn5OlgQf pic.twitter.com/d8mSC2t0n7
Through a series of tweets, NCERT provided clarification on their decision to, what they call, 'rationalise' the content of textbooks.
NCERT said that due to students and teachers being confined to their homes during pandemic, alternative methods of studying were adopted, "A considered opinion emerged based on the feedback received from various stakeholders, including practicing teachers, that children may not have to study same concepts at different stages and it needs to be done at appropriate stage."
During the COVID -19 pandemic, students and teachers across the school stages were at home and managing teaching-learning using alternative modes. NCERT attempted to rationalise the contents of the textbooks in 2021 considering following criteria:
— NCERT (@ncert) June 1, 2023
The rationale behind the 'rationalisation':
a. Overlapping with similar content included in the other subject area in the same class.
— NCERT (@ncert) June 1, 2023
b. Similar content included in the lower or higher class in the same subject.
f. Learning outcomes already developed across the classes are taken care of in this rationalization exercise.
— NCERT (@ncert) June 1, 2023
With respect to the removal of the concepts of periodic table and evolution are concerned, the same has not been removed from the school education curriculum but
Based on these facts, NCERT says it decided to cover the concepts of the periodic table and evolution in appropriate depth in Classes 11 and 12.
"The content placed in the periodic table again have been made more age appropriate, more so considering the Covid pandemic situation... Discussion about basic concepts such as elements, symbols, formation of compounds, atoms and molecules have been dealt with in Class 9," tweeted NCERT.
Regarding rationalization of the periodic table:
— NCERT (@ncert) June 1, 2023
Discussion about basic concepts such as elements, symbols, formation of compounds, atoms and molecules have been dealt with in class 9.