NEET, JEE exams next year should be based on reduced syllabus: Sisodia to Centre
New Delhi:Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday suggested that syllabus for all classes should be reduced to 50 per cent because of continued loss of classroom learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic and entrance exams like NEET and JEE next year should be based on reduced syllabus.
Sisodia made the suggestions during the 57th General Council Meeting of NCERT chaired by Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank and attended by state education ministers.
"The current academic session is seriously disturbed due to ongoing Corona crises. The syllabus for all classes be reduced to 50 per cent because of the continued loss of school days. Next year's entrance exams like JEE and NEET should also be based on this reduced syllabus to align with the current year's class syllabus," he said.
He also suggested that CBSE should not hold class 12 board exams before May 2021 so that students get some more time to study. Generally, the exams are held in February and March.
The Delhi government had earlier this month urged the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to not conduct the board exams next year before May and further reduce syllabus as schools still continue to remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a letter to the CBSE, the Directorate of Education (DoE) had said due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a major chunk of time of 2020-21 academic session (approximately seven months) could not be utilised for classroom teaching learning process as schools in Delhi are closed till October 31.
Universities and schools across the country were ordered to shut down on March 16 to contain the spread of novel coronavirus. On March 25, the Centre announced a nationwide lockdown. While several restrictions have been eased gradually in different phases of the 'unlock' since June 8, educational institutions continued to remain closed.
However, according to the latest 'Unlock 5' guidelines, schools, colleges and other educational institutions outside COVID-19 containment zones can reopen after October 15. The final decision on reopening the institutions has been left with the states and Union Territories.
The Delhi government has decided to maintain status quo on schools' closure till October 31, following which a review of the situation will be done.
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UP Cong chief Ajay Rai hospitalised after fainting, stable
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai was hospitalised here after he fell unconscious due to low sodium levels, party leaders said on Saturday.
They said he was admitted to Medanta Hospital on Friday evening and is stable.
"Ajay Rai was admitted to Medanta Hospital in Lucknow at around 6 pm on Friday after he fell unconscious as his sodium levels had dropped. He fell unconscious at his residence in Lucknow. For the entire day, he was engaged in party programmes and had also gone to the airport," Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi told PTI.
Congress in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Avinash Pande told PTI, "Now, he (Ajay Rai) is stable and I am also reaching Lucknow."
Medanta Hospital Director Dr Rakesh Kapoor told PTI that Rai collapsed at his home on Friday evening and was subsequently admitted to the hospital's emergency ward.
Medical examinations revealed that Rai was suffering from a sodium deficiency and elevated blood pressure. Doctors administered immediate treatment and he is doing significantly better now, Kapoor said.
A team of doctors is monitoring his health. Rai is conversing with others and his condition is stable, he added.
In a post on X late Friday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Rai a speedy recovery.
Rai hails from Varanasi and had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections against Modi from the parliamentary constituency. The Congress appointed him as the Uttar Pradesh unit chief in 2023.
