The education ministry has chalked out plans to reduce the number of subjects and total marks in the Junior School Certificate (JSC) and equivalent examinations with the aim of lowering the pressure of studies on students. At present, students appear for an exam of 850 marks, with 10 subjects, including optional subjects, in JSC or Junior Dakhil Certificate (JDC) exams. A proposal has been placed such that the total number of subjects will be seven and the total marks 650.

The proposal was placed at a meeting between the education ministry and the inter-board coordination sub-committee, comprising chairmen of all educational boards, at the Secretariat yesterday (Sunday). The meeting was headed by Md Sohorab Hossain, secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division.

Sources in the ministry and education board said the ministry has agreed to various proposals forwarded by the board chairmen to reduce the number of subjects and total marks. However, the final decision will be taken at the meeting of the National Curriculum Coordination Committee (NCCC) on May 27.

Under the proposal, there will be a single exam of 100 marks for the first and second paper of Bangla. Earlier, two exams for two papers were held separately, with total marks of 150.

The same will be applicable for English. Educational institutions will evaluate optional papers like Agriculture or Domestic Science. Marks for other subjects like Mathematics, Religion, Science, Bangladesh and Biswa Porichoy and ICT will remain the same.

“We’d like to reduce the burden on students. There are so many subjects. We’ve proposed to reduce the number of subjects and total marks of some subjects,” the chairman of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dhaka, M Ziaul Haque, told The Independent yesterday.

Everything will be finalised at the NCCC meeting on May 27, he added.

Sources said the NCCC meeting would also take a final decision on doing away with the existing multiple choice questions (MCQ).