Periodic Table moved to class 11 textbooks, not eliminated: NCERT issues clarification

A detailed study of the Periodic Classification of Elements (periodic table) has been moved to the syllabus of classes 11 and 12, NCERT said.

After widespread criticism over the alleged removal of the Periodic Table from Class 10 chemistry textbooks, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has now issued a clarification. The council, in its clarification, noted that the topic has not been eliminated from the syllabus, rather it has been moved to the syllabus of Class 11 to ease pressure on students.

The development comes in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has increased the burden on the students. This rationalisation effort can help them acquaint themselves with the syllabus without any pressure, according to NCERT.

In a series of tweets, NCERT informed about what led the council to revise the syllabus. “During the Pandemic – COVID- 19 situation, students across the stages of school education have struggled a lot to continue their learning through online and other modes,” NCERT wrote.

The apex body responsible for preparing textbooks explained that the categorisation of the syllabus has been made as per the respective standards. The fundamental concepts such as elements, symbols, compound formation, atoms, and molecules are included in the curriculum of Class 9. In Class 10, the students will be taught other topics including chemical reactions, acids, bases, salts, metals, non-metals, and carbon compounds. And, a detailed study of the Periodic Classification of Elements (periodic table) has been moved to the syllabus of classes 11 and 12.

In class 10, chemical reaction; acids, bases & salts; metals & non-metals; carbon & its compounds have been covered. Students pursuing science in classes 11 and 12 will study the details of Periodic Classification of elements (Periodic table).

— NCERT (@ncert) June 1, 2023

NCERT, in its tweet, also said that in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the council had taken the decision to rationalise the content of the textbooks. The factors that were taken into consideration for the rationalisation included “overlapping” topics and content “not relevant or outdated in the present context”. Additionally, the content, which is “difficult” and “easily accessible to children”, has also been excluded from the revised curriculum to reduce burden on students.

During the COVID -19 pandemic, students and teachers across the school stages were at home and managing teaching-learning using alternative modes. NCERT attempted to rationalise the contents of the textbooks in 2021 considering following criteria:

— NCERT (@ncert) June 1, 2023

The council went on to clarify that the revision was done after the collective feedback received from various stakeholders, including the teachers and the Parliamentary Standing Committee.

A considered opinion emerged based on the feedback received from various stakeholders, including practising teachers, that children may not have to study same concepts at different stages and it needs to be done at appropriate stage.

— NCERT (@ncert) June 1, 2023

In an earlier notification the council said, “In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is imperative to reduce the content load on students. The National Education Policy 2020, also emphasises reducing the content load and providing opportunities for experiential learning with a creative mindset. In this background, NCERT has undertaken the exercise to rationalise the textbooks across all classes. Learning outcomes already developed by the NCERT across classes have been taken into consideration in this exercise.”

Working on the same development, NCERT removed the topics such as the theory of evolution, the Cold War, the Mughal courts and the 2002 Gujarat riots, and the role of agriculture in the Indian economy from the social science syllabus.