TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBSHSE) expressed its concern that the reversal of school timings would take a huge toll on in-depth coverage of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) syllabus, currently adopted by Goa.
The GBSHSE strongly supported the implementation of extended school timings by 30 minutes on the grounds that it would help raise the standard of education and will meet the required time schedule for concentrating on the NCERT syllabus.
The Goa Board whose opinion had been sought over the plan to extend school timings continues to favour 33 instructional hours per week to enable completion of the syllabus.
“As per the NCERT syllabus presently followed, it requires a total of 180 periods per subject to cover the prescribed syllabus,” Chairman of the Goa Board J R Rebello said when contacted by Herald for its views on the issue, adding , “This requires total of 1100 instructional hours per year.”
It was pointed out that with the five hour schedule not enough, justice could not be done to each subject with a shortfall of almost 30 periods per subject.
The Goa Board felt that the actual school timing per day should be five hours and 40 minutes.
Rebello added that the general perception that Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) students have an edge over Goa Board students is simply because under CBSE the syllabus is covered in-depth.
“They (CBSE) gives more time for each subject having only five subjects whereas under Goa Board we have six subjects which are covered under a less time schedule,” Rebello explained.
He said that there was also need for adequate intervals between instructional hours for students to absorb the content placed before them.
The Goa Board chairman added further that as soon as the newly re-constituted Board takes over, it would endeavour to enlighten parents, teachers and students on the merits of increasing instructional hours.
