Schools must arrange for more classrooms, offer fresh subject combinations, tailor timetables and recruit additional teachers to adjust to the changes in ISC (Class XII), to be implemented from the academic session beginning April 2025.
The changes are meant for those who will write their ISC examinations in 2027. Schools will have to introduce the changes for the current batch of Class X students who will start Class XI in a few months.
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), which conducts the ISC examinations, announced on Wednesday that to qualify a candidate must attain pass standards in English and four other subjects from 2027. It was English plus three other subjects so far. However, many schools insist that students study five subjects anyway.
Students will have a choice between math and applied math and English and Modern English in the new system.
For schools, it will mean splitting the classroom and having more teachers.
Schools will counsel students and review their choices in English and math before they start classes, principals said.
“We will review the choices we offer students in the next two months,” said Damayanti Mukherjee, principal, Modern High School for Girls.
In many schools, students have been given provisional admission to Class XI. The schools will change the subject combinations and inform parents and students.
“Now, math will be accessible to more students. We will have to change the subject combinations in Class XI. For example, a humanities student was not taking math so far and opted for subjects like psychology and sociology. With applied math as an option, the students might want to take it as a combination subject. Thus, the subject combinations must be reviewed,” said Satabdi Bhattacharjee, principal of South City International School.
The schools are also expected to introduce newer subjects like artificial intelligence and robotics.
Many students who would otherwise drop math will now be more eager to take the subject, hoped Anil Jha, academic co-ordinator for Classes XI and XII at The Heritage School.
“Applied math has financial mathematics in Classes XI and XII. Students will study interest rates, fundamentals taxation (CGST, SGST) in Class XI, and topics like EMI (equated monthly installment), and rate of return in Class XII. This would help commerce students in the future,” said Jha, an accountancy teacher.
“Many colleges do not allow students to study undergraduate commerce if they did not have math as a subject in Plus II. Applied math will make many more students eligible to switch to commerce after Plus II or to continue with math even with humanities subjects,” said Rodney Borneo, principal, St Augustine’s Day School Shyamnagar.
Since there will be a choice in English, a compulsory subject, students will have to be divided into sections.
“Earlier, English had a common syllabus, but not anymore. We will have to make provision for additional classrooms and might require new teachers,” said Terence John, director, education and development, Julien Day Schools.
“Teachers cannot be burdened with classes beyond a limit,” he said.
Schools said they would wait for students’ responses before making the changes.
Last updated on 14 Feb 2025
