The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has cut down the syllabus for Classes between 9 and 12 by up to 30 per cent, Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' announced in a tweet on Monday. "Considering the importance of learning achievement, it has been decided to rationalise syllabus up to 30 per cent by retaining the core concepts," the HRD Minister said in a tweet.

Pokhriyal added in his tweet that this decision has been taken after discussions with numerous students, teachers from across the country, CBSE board and other stakeholders. "To aid the decision, a few weeks back I also invited suggestions from all educationists on the reduction of #SyllabusForStudents2020 and I am glad to share that we received more than 1.5K suggestions. Thank you, everyone, for the overwhelming response," he also said in his tweet on Monday.

A reduced syllabus brings much-needed relief to students and teachers who have been grappling with online classes and uncertainties amidst the nationwide lockdown since March 25. In June, the Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had pitched for a 30 per cent reduction in the syllabus for all grades to make up for the loss caused by the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recently, the CBSE also cancelled the pending Class 10 and 12 board examinations owing to the pandemic situation in the country and across the world.