New Delhi (PTI): The International Cricket Council is reworking the media accreditation process for Bangladesh journalists wishing to cover the T20 World Cup in India after the withdrawal of its national team citing security concerns in the neighbouring nation.
The ICC is changing the application process even as some of the Bangladesh journalists claimed that their accreditation request was rejected by the world body.
"There is a reworking of the process since there is a change in the number of requests and the schedules. The accreditation lists are being worked out accordingly.
"Some of the Bangladesh journalists, who showed interest in covering the tournament despite their team's withdrawal, have started getting approvals," ICC sources told PTI.
Roughly 80-90 Bangladeshi journalists applied for the media accreditation and, sources said, even if their team was participating in the ICC event, not all requests could be accommodated.
"If you go by the country quota, you can't exceed the number beyond 40. The ICC goes by the recommendations of the home board and accordingly takes a call on the applications," sources added.
In Dhaka, BCB media chairman Amjad Hossain said he has taken up the matter with the ICC.
"The decision came only yesterday and we have sought to know (the details). An explanation has been requested. This is an internal and confidential matter, but to summarise -- we wanted to know why this was done," Hossain told reporters in Dhaka.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior Bangladeshi journalist said it was the first time his media accreditation was not approved.
"I have covered 8 to 9 ICC World Cups. This was the first time my application was rejected. We are awaiting clarity from BCB before reapplying," he said.
As per the ICC assessment, the Bangladesh cricket team did not face a security threat in India but the country's cricket board still decided to not travel to the country.
Subsequently, the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland for the tournament beginning on February 7.
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New Delhi (PTI): The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has rolled out its new curriculum, launching a phased implementation of the three-language formula from Class 6 and a two-level system of mathematics and science for Class 9 starting in the 2026-27 academic session, officials said on Friday.
While the three-language formula mandated under the new National Education Policy (NEP) will be implemented from 2026 for Class 6, introduction of the two-level system of mandatory standard and optional advanced courses in mathematics and science will be done for Class 9.
"Languages are organised through a structured three-language framework across stages: R1, R2 and R3. As per recommendations of new National Curriculum Framework (NCF), two of these three languages must be native to India. In continuation of the board's phased implementation of multilingual education, a third language will be made mandatory from Class 6 with effect from the academic session 2026-27, ensuring that every learner studies at least two Indian languages," a senior board official said.
"While it is desirable that the same scheme of languages is adopted, under exceptional circumstances for students returning from foreign schools where the third language studied till Class 8 or 9 is not available in domestic schools, such students may be exempted as per approved norms. However, such students will be required to study the total number of subjects as stipulated in the scheme of studies," the official added.
Mathematics and science will see a major structural shift with the introduction of a two-level system starting in the 2026–27 academic session.
"All students will study the standard curriculum and appear for a common 80-mark examination of three hours; those opting for higher proficiency can choose an additional 'advanced' level in either or both subjects. This advanced component will consist of a separate 25-mark, one-hour paper designed to test higher-order thinking skills and deeper conceptual understanding.
"Students must mandatorily take the standard exam, while the advanced paper remains optional. Importantly, performance in the advanced paper will not be added to the overall aggregate; instead, students scoring 50 per cent or above will have the advanced-level qualification reflected separately in their mark sheet," the official said.
The two-level system (standard and advanced) in mathematics and science will begin in the 2026–27 academic session for Class 9 students, and the first board exams for Class 10 students with this structure will be held in 2028 for that cohort.
