Parents and High schools urged CBSE to Lessen Social Studies Syllabus

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has been asked by many high schools and parents, to reduce the Social Studies Syllabus. The argument is that Social Science subject affects high scores in Mathematics and Science subject.
Malathy Srinivasan (Principal of Devi Academy Senior Secondary School) told there was no distinction when it came to assigning marks for subjects.

The CBSE has in reply asked whether the load of syllabus was the consequence of a casual attitude towards the subject, need for more efficient teaching, profound content or due to poor reading habits with and lack of intellectual capacity.

Resultantly, Academics now worry that if proposal if implemented, this could switch on the movement of putting arts behind other streams. Although this trend is already evident, since in higher education, only few choose humanities, as told by academicians.

As a teacher Sadanand Menon (Art and Culture Critic) says, he has already seen the consequences of slighter significance given to social sciences. "I find students less informed of contemporary society and blank when it comes to inequalities in society."

M P Damodaran (Assistant Professor of Anthropology in University of Madras) said, Subject humanities leads to developing the student’s persona at the individual level, this helps him/her in understanding others.

"The impact of IT on mass urbanized set-ups like cities have made people crazy about jobs rather than finding themselves and their place in society," he said.

K R Maalathi (Educational consultant) opined that the approach to subject - Social Studies, in school is leading to the demise of the humanities stream in higher education. "Schools are only readying children for engineering courses and not giving them a choice. If maths and science are given nine periods a week, social studies is given only six," as stated by her.