LAHORE, Dec 9: The Punjab University board of studies on mathematics has termed the new scheme of studies introduced at secondary school level a deliberate plan to destroy the discipline of mathematics.

According to the new scheme introduced this year, the entire mathematics course will be taught in class-X against the previous practice of teaching half of it in class-IX and half in class-X.

In the new scheme, science group students are required to take chemistry and biology/computer science/one technical subject in part-I and mathematics and physics in part-II.

In the humanities group, students are required to take general science and one elective arts subject or a technical subject in class-IX and mathematics and an arts subject (elective) in class-X.

The earlier decision to conduct the secondary school examinations in parts from the 2002-03 academic session had come as a surprise for students and teachers.

The PU BoS said the new scheme of studies was unreasonable and against the standard practice of teaching mathematics which was rightfully called the mother of all sciences. It said continuity in teaching was the standard pedagogical norm for teaching mathematics, especially at a younger age. Students would remain out of touch with mathematics for more than a year after passing class-VIII. “They will forget the subject after a lapse of almost one-and-a-half years and will face difficulties in understanding it again in class-X,” the board observed. It said the course was too lengthy to be covered within the time.

The board also said mathematics was a prerequisite for studying computer science. But the new scheme offered computer science course in class-IX and mathematics in class-X. “Teaching computer science before mathematics is unreasonable,” it said.

PU mathematics department chairman Dr Shoaibuddin said detailed deliberations should have been organized among all stakeholders before implementing the new scheme. He said top government functionaries prepared policies in isolation and implemented them by a stroke of the pen. The government should have involved all stakeholders and thrashed the idea through debate to find a feasible solution to implement the scheme, he said.

The mathematics teacher of a high school said it would be very difficult for students to ‘learn’ mathematics in one year which literally offered not more than six months for studies.

With the annual examinations for class-IX just three months away, different teachers said the students were at a loss to follow the new course and new requirements of assessment and examinations.

University of Education vice-chancellor Dr Mustafa Habibullah said a recent survey revealed that the new system was running satisfactorily. He, however, said the system could not be developed to replace the age-old cramming system in just one year. He claimed the teachers had started giving response to the new system which required a consistency and regular monitoring for sustainability.

Dr Mustafa admitted that all schoolteachers direly needed training to impart instructions to their students according to modern requirements.

The Education Department had finalized the examination modalities in consultation with the chairmen of all the eight boards of intermediate and secondary education in the Punjab in the last week of September this year. The modalities were finalized following the implementation of education reforms prepared by the federal government.