Bengal govt asks schools to display syllabus in classrooms

Schools run by the West Bengal government will soon have to put up a notice in classrooms, with detailed information about the curricula and chapters that would be taught by the teachers during a particular semester, an official said.

A notification has been issued by the department of school education, asking all state-run schools to abide by the instruction from the next academic session, he said.

"The new rule is aimed at giving the students a clear idea about what they will learn before the next summative internal assessment test. It will also apprise the teachers of the lessons they need to cover in a given period," the school department official said.

Three summative assessment tests are held every year in state-run schools - one during March-April, second around July-August and the third in November-December.

"Ideally, the schools can also put up the same notice somewhere on its campus, where the parents have access. The notice will have to be updated from time to time so that students have no confusion about their academic progress," the state official said.

The government's move came in the wake of frequent complaints by students that teachers do not cover syllabi properly, he said.

"While the students claim that syllabus has not been covered in classrooms, the teachers allege that those complaining either skip schools or remain hooked to their mobile phones during lessons," he maintained.

The school education department has also stressed the importance of holding regular parent-teacher meetings for the overall benefit of the students, the official said.

"The parents should have knowledge about the performance of their wards, their strengths and weaknesses," he added.