The Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has asked the schools affiliated to it to give their feedback on the “reduced” ICSE and ISC syllabi.

The council will consider the views when it determines its plan of action, a circular issued to the schools on Tuesday night says. The feedback will also be used to assess the efficacy of online teaching, which has replaced in-person classes because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The CISCE would appreciate your views and the views of the various Subject Teachers in your school regarding the reduction of the syllabuses as made till date (further reduced syllabi, reduced syllabi and the syllabi in which no reduction has been made). Your valuable feedback on the same will be most appreciated for the CISCE to make a proper assessment of the present situation and help to determine its future plan of actions accordingly,” the council’s circular reads.

The school heads have been asked to mail the feedback to the council by September 30.

The council has reduced the syllabuses of Classes X and XII twice since July because of “significant loss” of teaching hours since March. All campuses have been shut since March as a precaution against Covid-19.

After the first round of curtailment in July, the syllabuses had to be reduced again this month because many students and teachers complained that the earlier reduction was “not significant.”

The CISCE in its circular has asked the school heads and also subject teachers to give their views separately on both rounds of curtailment. The syllabi of some of the subjects have not been curtailed at all. The schools heads and subject teachers have been asked to give their feedback on those subjects as well.

The council has affiliated schools in many semi-urban and rural areas where the institutions are finding it difficult to ensure cent percent attendance in online sessions because of poor Internet connectivity and other constraints, the principal of a school said.

“The council will use the feedback to assess the situation and make a decision,” the principal said.

The council has conducted a survey in which it has found that many schools, particularly in districts, had not been able cover the extent of the syllabus they were supposed to complete by September.

The ICSE and the ISC examinations are slated to be held in February and March.