NEWS-New Std XII syllabus to tackle med CET, say academicians

FROM TOI

NAGPUR: The new syllabus of the Maharashtra state education board is getting thumbs up from all, as far as its usefulness to students appearing for the proposed medical common entrance test is concerned. The new syllabus has already been introduced for Std XI, while that for Std XII will be implemented next year. The state will hold a special training session in May 2012 for junior college teachers so that they are prepared to implement the same at their schools.

The state board in a recent notice says that the "continuity in the curriculum is maintained in Std XI & XII, which is not the case with National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) curriculum".

With the growing controversy of the common medical test, this new syllabus assumes greater importance. The Medical Council of India (MCI) has already declared that it will hold the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) for undergraduates on May 13, 2012. Some states, including Maharashtra, are now knocking on the court doors to defer the exam by a year.

Dr. Nandini Babhulkar, who represents a parents' group from the city, said, "The new syllabus is just perfect and it will clearly prepare our students for NEET-UG. Hence we are asking that the exam be deferred by one year. I have gone through the new Std XII syllabus and found that it will prepare students to handle the NEET-UG better."

While preparing the syllabus, NEET-UG was the focal point for the state as well. Speaking to TOI, board chairperson Ujjwala Patil said, the syllabus will ensure that students have a strong platform for any competitive exam. "Majority of the competitive exams happen after Std XII hence it is our responsibility to make sure that students are prepared for whichever field they want to pursue. But since the syllabus will be introduced next year, our students won't be prepared for the NEET-UG 2012," said Patil.

Earlier this month the MCI too released a new and upgraded syllabus for the NEET-UG. Though it claims to have incorporated changes after seeking feedback from stakeholders, there are many who feel that it is closer to the CBSE syllabus.

Sameer Phale, professor at Dr. Ambedkar College says, with the new syllabus, Maharashtra will be almost at par with the central board. "Earlier the syllabus was different by over 50 per cent, but now the new syllabus has narrowed down the differences to just about 10 per cent. Some chapters which we teach in Std XI are in their Std XII books and vice versa. If you look in totality the syllabus is almost the same now. I still strongly believe that Maharashtra should just implement the CBSE syllabus word-for-word rather experiment with something new. Science taught in Nagpur cannot be different from that of New Delhi hence it is not logical to keep our syllabus even slightly different," said Phale.