CBSE eliminate chapters on Islamic empires, Cold War from board syllabi
"Teams of experts have worked on it. We will soon release a detailed statement on how the board has rationalized the syllabus"
New Delhi: In a fresh move by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), several chapters from the history and Political Science syllabus of classes 11 and 12 has been removed. A section of teachers said that a few chapters including chronicles of Mughal courts, the rise of Islamic empires in Afro-Asian territories, the Cold War, and the industrial revolution have been removed from the syllabus.
It has also been officially declared by the board that it will only conduct one board examination for the session 2022-23, which are scheduled to be held by the end of the academic year. The board had earlier opted for a two-exam method in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Thursday, that board released the syllabus for the 2022-23 session, wherein it extenuates the burden for students of classes 9 to 12 by reducing it to around 30 percent.
Though the board is said to have maintained alignment with the recommendations by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), some teachers have raised questions over the elimination of several chapters from the syllabus.
“In a secular country like ours, it is very important to have in-depth knowledge of different religions. The chapter ‘Central Islamic Lands’ was a detailed study about Islam — from its origins till now. Similarly, the chapter dealing with the Mughal courts was the heart of medieval history in the class 12 syllabus. Removing these two topics is completely irrational”, told a history teacher at a government school in Rohini to the English daily Hindustan Times.
When the concerns were shared with the board, an official said while requesting anonymity, “Teams of experts have worked on it. We will soon release a detailed statement on how the board has rationalized the syllabus”.