Cuttack, April 22: Orissa High Court has admitted a PIL on alleged inadequacies in the course content of the Odisha Board of Secondary Education and the Odisha Council of Higher Secondary Education.

The court registered the PIL after taking suo motu cognisance of the concern, expressed by members of the bar on the basis of media reports that "unless the course content of the board and the council are brought in tune with the syllabus prescribed by the CBSE, the students passing from vernacular high schools and Plus Two educational institutions in Odisha do not stand a chance in the all-India competitive examinations pertaining to admissions in the MBBS and BTech courses".

Taking note of the "disturbing state of affairs", the division bench of acting Chief Justice Pradip Mohanty and Justice Biswajit Mohanty directed the state government to make clear its "stand on the problem keeping in mind the future of students of the state".

Accordingly, notices were issued on March 17 to the secretaries of the school and mass education department, higher education department, board and the council.

They were expected to file their responses yesterday, when the matter was listed for hearing. The court, however, was suspended for the day after a full bench reference on the death of former chief minister J.B. Patnaik. The PIL centres on the growing perception that the CBSE curriculum is ideally suited for competitive examinations, which most students look to crack. Their Class XI and XII curricula make them ready for competitive examinations as it is formulated keeping the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for the MBBS and BTech courses in mind. But, the board and the council course contents allegedly need more revamp to prepare students to succeed in the competitive tests. The court has registered the PIL at a time when a fact-finding committee, formed by the higher education department, has suggested introduction of a special examination paper on general awareness and soft skills.

The department officials believe that the special paper would not only help students perform well in the national-level entrance tests, where they have been faring poorly in recent times, but also enhance their development and inculcate a positive attitude and behaviour among them. The proposed special paper will carry 100 marks for the Plus Two examinees.

The three-member panel gave the suggestions in its report submitted in March. The recommendations are being reviewed for implementation possibly from next year.