According to the initial move, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) only allowed those students who had taken ‘Mathematics Standard’ in their class 10, to pursue the subject in Junior College. However, owing to the special circumstances of the pandemic, CBSE decided to overlook this condition for 2021. The board has now decided to extend this criterion for another academic session will keep this condition for 2022-2023 as well.
Per the modified guidelines, students who opt for the relatively easier version of the subject, ‘Mathematics Basic,’ can also pursue the subject in classes 11 and 12. According to one principal of the CBSE school, “Less than 5% of the students opt for ‘Mathematics Basic’. In fact, there are many schools where the option is not available at all. It’s good to have it as a choice for students, but the concept never really took off.” Many teachers cite the syllabus as the reason for this.
