CBSE Suggest Changes for Class 10 and 12 curriculum

CBSE shares new proposal for class 10 and 12: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is said to have suggested substantial modifications to the class 10 and class 12 curricula. According to The Indian Express, under the proposed alterations, class 10 students will be mandated to study three languages, with a requirement for two of them to be native Indian languages.

The report outlines that class 10 students will now need to pass in 10 subjects, a departure from the current academic structure where the prerequisite is five. Apart from the three languages, the seven primary subjects proposed for Class 10 include mathematics and computational thinking, social science, science, art education, physical education and well-being, vocational education, and environmental education.

The report details that external assessments will be conducted for the three languages, mathematics and computational thinking, social science, science, and environmental education. Conversely, a combination of internal and external examinations will be used for art education, physical education, and vocational education. However, students must successfully clear all 10 subjects to progress to the next grade.

In parallel, students in classes 11 and 12 will now be required to study two languages, a change from the existing requirement of one. Of the two languages, one must be a native Indian language. If the proposed modifications are put into effect, students will be required to pass in six subjects to graduate high school. Presently, students study five subjects (one language and four electives).

The suggested changes are reported to be part of CBSE's broader initiative to implement a national credit framework in school education. This framework aims to establish academic equivalence between vocational and general education, enabling seamless transition between the two education systems, as per the National Education Policy 2020. According to the CBSE plan, an academic year would consist of 1200 notional learning hours, equating to earning 40 credits.

Notional learning hours encompass all the time anticipated for a student to engage in independent study, reading, research, preparation for contact hours, coursework, revision, and other activities necessary to fulfill the specified learning outcomes. Simply put, each subject will be assigned a specific number of hours, ensuring that, within a year, a student dedicates a total of 1200 learning hours to qualify for a passing grade.

However, it is not yet known when the creditised system will be rolled out.