Telangana government schools scramble to finish Class X syllabus, no time to revise

Hyderabad: Students of Class X are losing out on precious revision time as government schools across the city are yet to complete teaching the Class X syllabus, despite the district education officer having set a December 31, 2022, deadline for the same.

Lack of teachers, insufficient textbooks supply and not dedicating study time at home are major reasons hampering government school students.

S. Sridevi, a government high school teacher, said that most students study only at school as they are expected to take up domestic or agricultural chores to contribute to their households.

“I agree that the textbooks were given late and there is a lack of teachers. But the parents are least bothered about their child’s education. Their interest and continuity in schools is disappointing,” she said.

Teachers also blamed the extended holiday calendar this academic year,. “We are rushing with the syllabus in revision time. Last year, there were many holidays due to the rainy season and festivals,” said Afreen Fatima, a Class X teacher at a government school.

Another teacher, requesting anonymity, said that most teachers were completing the syllabus at their convenience as due to an insufficient number of teachers, they have to borrow subject-specific teachers from other schools.

Students, meanwhile, are apprehensive about taking the exams, citing the six-paper pattern instead of the earlier pattern. “The students are now in a panic as the portion has not been reduced and there are no holidays in between exams. What is the rush to change the paper pattern this year, that too with such short notice?” said Manjula R., a government school teacher.

However, the scenario at residential government schools was different. Not only have they finished their syllabus, but have also started with the revision and timely unit tests.

“Students are living in hostels 24/7 and are more focused on academics. Second (reason) is having enough teachers who are appointed on a rotation basis for taking classes and revision classes. The third reason is they are having access to all the academic resources on time,” Sarveshwar Reddy, additional secretary for residential schools, said.

Reddy said that such important needs are not being met at day schools, which is affecting the overall pass percentage.

Education at stake

> On November 24, 2022, the district education officer of Hyderabad directed government schools to finish the Class X syllabus by the year-end and begin revising the same

> The official directed schools to hold special revision tests from January 1, with a special focus on slow-learners

> Syllabus yet to be completed in most schools due to multiple reasons

> Some teachers said textbooks were not given on time, some blamed a lack of teachers, while most agreed that there were additional closures due to rains

> Students are panicking as the exam pattern changed to six-paper one