KARACHI, Nov 6: The contents of all courses for Class IX and Class X students appearing in the 2009 annual examinations are likely to be curtailed by 20 per cent by the provincial boards of secondary education to make up for what is set to become an extremely short academic session this year, it has reliably been learnt.

Sources said that since the provincial education department’s steering committee had recently decided to switch the commencement of the academic session of schools from August to April 1 and conduct Class IX and Class X annual examinations from March 20, the academic session for those studying in Class IX and Class X would be of seven months.

And if the winter vacation and unforeseen holidays were deducted, the session would shrink to six months, they explained.

In view of what could be described as the shortest academic year in the history of the province, Hyderabad City Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jameel sent a letter to Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, the controlling authority for all educational boards of the province, and asked him to help ensure special relief for students in their examination papers.

He suggested that the papers be prepared from 80 per cent of the contents of the courses. The governor circulated the nazim’s letter to the chairmen of all secondary boards of the province to seek their comments on the issue.

The sources told Dawn that most chairmen of the secondary boards in their communications to the governor said there was no justification for curtailing the courses because such a cut would further widen the gap between the secondary and higher secondary syllabuses.

They, however, suggested that a request be made to the Sindh education department to hold extra classes for Class IX and X students to offset the impact of the abridged academic session.

Sources in the provincial education department, however, said it was not possible to hold extra classes for Class IX and X students as most schools ran double shifts. Besides, teaching the course devised for an academic session of eight months to students in just six months would amount to thrusting the course upon them in a haphazard manner.

The issue would be deliberated upon at a meeting of the committee of chairmen of all the secondary boards soon, the sources said, adding that though most chairmen of the boards had described the suggestion of curtailing the Class IX and Class X courses as ‘irrational’, the COC of the secondary boards would take a final decision in this regard.

It would also decide which portions of the courses would be left out so that the students might get ample time to prepare for the examinations, which are only four months away now.