Cuttack, May 13: The Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE), Odisha, has told Orissa High Court that there was an "urgent need" to change syllabus of physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology to make the curriculum suitable for the All-India Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for BTech and MBBS courses.

"The syllabus has not been revised since a long time keeping in view the entrance examination for IITs, NITs and medical, that a student of Plus Two science will undergo after the qualifying examination," CHSE secretary Gyanaranjan Mohanty conceded in an affidavit filed yesterday.

In the affidavit, Mohanty also said: "For this purpose, the teaching staff should be adequately equipped with modern trends to impart teaching as per the syllabus prescribed for entrance examination in engineering and medical and other advanced courses for higher study."

The affidavit was filed in pursuance of a direction by the court to the CHSE to submit a report on the discrepancies between the course content of the syllabus of the state Plus Two Board and the CBSE Class XI and XII.

The court was hearing a PIL on alleged inadequacies in course contents of Odisha Board of Secondary Education and the CHSE.

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".

In the affidavit, Mohanty further said: "The CHSE will be developing the draft syllabus 2016 for different subjects on the basis of the analysis of the feedback received from various experienced professors, boards such as the CBSE and the ICSE."

"In this regard we propose to consult subject experts of CBSE. After approval of the syllabus committee, the CHSE shall take action to improve its courses of study," the CHSE secretary said in the affidavit, adding, that the new council will meet on May 16 to select the executive committee that forms the syllabus committee.

"Taking note of CHSE's affidavit the division bench of acting Chief Justice Pradip Mohanty and Justice Biswajit Mohanty has posted the matter to May 15 for further hearing," said Tarananda Patnaik, counsel for the CBSE, which has also been made in the PIL.

The PIL assumes significance as there is a growing perception that CBSE curriculum is ideally suited for all-India competitive examinations as it helps students to crack examinations for admissions to BTech and MBBS courses.

The CBSE Class XI and XII curricula make students ready for competitive examinations as it is formulated keeping the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for MBBS and BTech courses.

But the BSE and the CHSE course contents allegedly need more revamping for preparing students for success in these competitive examinations.