Class XI students line up for admission in Cotton College. File picture

Guwahati, Sept. 5: Education in Assam is toeing the national line, finally.

The Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) told The Telegraph today that it has introduced a syllabus on the lines of National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) at Class XI in all colleges and higher secondary schools of the state from the current academic session.

The same NCERT syllabus will be introduced in Class XII from next year.

According to the plan, the higher secondary council will conduct the final examinations of Class XII under the NCERT syllabus in 2012.

The issue of introducing NCERT syllabus in Assam to produce students capable of competing in the national-level examinations has raised controversies with several quarters opposing the move, saying it will only bring an “alien culture” among the students.

“It was a long pending issue with the AHSEC. Once the students are acclimatised with the NCERT syllabus, it will become easier for them to compete in the national examinations and come out with flying colours within a few years. There were allegations in the past that several students who did well in the examinations under the state board, failed to clear the all-India examinations because of a ‘non-competitive’ syllabus in Assam,” AHSEC secretary U. Deka said.

Deka said the teachers and students have accepted the new syllabus with a great deal of enthusiasm.

He said the council has already started imparting training to teachers to enable themselves as well as enhance their skills to effectively teach students under the new syllabus.

The council has introduced the NCERT syllabus in 13 subjects — mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, English, accountancy, business studies, psychology, sociology, economics, history, political science and geography. It has kept out subjects like modern Indian languages, commercial mathematics, statistics and home science from the purview of the national council’s syllabus.

Deka said since the introduction of the NCERT syllabus in Class XI has been completed, the AHSEC would now concentrate on a new system of evaluation.

He said the question paper patterns in the examinations would also change.

Cotton College principal Indra Kumar Bhattacharyya said it was good that students at the Plus II level are now following a syllabus similar to mainstream India. He, however, said success in the national-level exams would primarily hinge on individual merit.

Rajib Sarma, who secured 87 per cent in the HSLC examination this year, said the introduction of NCERT syllabus would play a crucial role in securing a seat in one of the leading medical institutions in the country.

“The government is proposing to conduct a common entrance test for the 32,000 undergraduate seats in medical colleges across the country from next year. To appear in such a tough competitive examination, the syllabus at the Plus II level in Assam must be on a par with other states of the country. With the introduction of NCERT syllabus in physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology, I am now confident of clearing such a test,” Rajib said.

A government official said while the Board of Secondary Education, Assam would introduce the NCERT syllabus in Class IX and X from next year, the State Council of Education Research and Training would do so from Class I to VIII from 2012.