Friyana Munshi
Lucknow, March 14, 2021: More than 27 thousand secondary colleges affiliated to the Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Council (UP Board) are facing a crisis of teaching important subjects like English in high school and intermediate. A new academic semester is to begin in a fortnight and books have not been arranged yet. Similarly, the NCERT syllabus of Commerce (Commerce) is to be implemented from 11th. Even these books have not been tendered. In such a situation, lakhs of students will not be able to study these subjects even after the colleges open.
Board administration is responsible for fixing the syllabus and arranging books for secondary colleges affiliated with the Council of Secondary Education (UP Board). Here, the NCERT syllabus is being implemented in a phased manner in UP Board taking steps towards equal education. Last year, the government had approved taking courses on two important subjects – English and Commerce on the lines of NCERT. In the affiliated colleges, the new syllabus of English in classes 9 and 11 has been implemented from the previous semester itself. In the new semester, the changed course is to be started in 10th (high school) and 12th (inter).
Similarly, the government had approved changing the course of commerce in intermediate. Actually, the regulation in the commerce class had to be amended, so the directive of the government was waiting. The order was issued on 18 September 2020. But, then it was said that studies and registration have commenced and no books are available yet, so the commerce course in 11th will be implemented from the new academic semester. Before the start of the academic semester, the board administration has been tendering books every year, but this time the tender of changed course books has not been done. Hence, a crisis has arisen over the study of English in high school and commerce in 11th.
Making arrangements for NCERT books:
UP Board Secretary Divyakant Shukla says that regular tendering of English and Commerce books has not been done. Its proposal was sent to the government last year. Now correspondence has taken place to arrange the books by paying royalties to NCERT. Books are expected to be received on time.