Coronavirus Outbreak: KP Issues AAC For Grade XI , XII

ABBOTTABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Feb, 2021 ) :Directorate of Curriculum and Teacher Education (DCTE) Abbottabad Tuesday notified the Accelerated Academic Calendar (AAC) for grades XI and XII for the academic year 2020-21 only.

Keeping in view of the issues owing to the outbreak of COVID-19 which has completely crippled life in all respects, the DCTE introduced the new calendar to tackle the situation and facilitate both students and teachers.

According to the notification, for the current academic session, the teaching-learning time available is less than the normal routine.

Since this is a critical and complex level, with complicated vertical and horizontal alignments and closely-knit progression of the course contents in each subject, it cannot be left to the teachers to pick and choose the topics to be dropped or taught to the students, explained in the notification.

It was further elaborated that there was a need for carefully and technically reviewing the course contents, and the academic calendar, by the subject experts, and decide the selection of content to be taught to students in the shortened time period, without disturbing its alignment.

Through the new calendar, teachers would be enabled to make effective and efficient use of the time available and cover all the essential course contents, and help students to be able to show good performance in summative assessment and examination.

It will be mandatory for BISEs to set the papers on the topics/contents mentioned in the AAC for the session 2020-2021.

KPK was facing the same situation in almost all institutions in general and educational institutions in particular due to their closure for almost seven months.

Talking specifically of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for an enhanced education system-level response to the pandemic, The Elementary & Secondary Education Department, Government (E&SED) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa undertook substantial steps to ensure continuity of learning in an equitably.

An important step taken by the E&SED is the development of AAC for the higher secondary classes. The Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other stakeholders highlighted the need for the development of AAC at the Higher Secondary level classes i.e. 11th and 12th.

These classes have also suffered in terms of time lost, the same way as the lower grades. The students were at the decisive entry point in pursuit of their academic career as they have to appear for the board examination.

While directing the teachers the E&SED also issued guidelines including that the calendar AAC 2020-21would be used only once owing to the Coronavirus outbreak, whenever the name of Prophet Muhammad is mentioned in the textbooks must rea and right Peace Be Upon Him, teachers would teach only prescribed content from the calendar, exercises of textbooks have also been identified in the calendar, keep a social distance for those subjects where practical is compulsory.