Kolkata: Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen feels there is an urgent need to review the curriculum at the primary level to make home task redundant and private tuition unnecessary.

"There is an urgent need to review the curriculum at the primary level.The children at the primary level have to suffer for a heavy study load. And due to the heavy study load there is a stiff rise in private tuitions," said Sen while releasing the Pratichi Education Report II based on the changes and challenges of primary education in West Bengal.

The Pratichi trust has been raised by Sen with the money from the Nobel prize he won in 1998.

Advocating a review of the curriculum, Sen said on Saturday evening only the necessary topics and subjects should be inducted in the new curriculum as compulsory elements and the rest kept as optional.

"The new curriculum should give priority to necessary topics as compulsory subjects and those not so necessary can be kept optional. It will help in decreasing the study load of children at the primary level," Sen said.

He also suggested that the new curriculum be formulated in such a manner that the school hours provide enough time for the teachers to cover the syllabus which in turn will make private tuitions unnecessary.

Sen opined that private tuitions nowadays have become a necessity, as the syllabus doesn't get completed within the school hours due to an overloaded curriculum.
"Our society is going through educational transformation. The syllabus should be made in such a manner that school hours provide ample time for covering syllabus and in turn it makes private tuitions unnecessary," added Sen, who also got India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna in 1999.

-- IANS