Medical Council of India- Rationale and Features of Chemistry Syllabus

Medical Council of India (MCI)

CHEMISTRY

INFORMATION

RATIONALE

Higher Secondary Stage is the most crucial stage of school education because at this  stage specialized discipline based, content oriented courses are introduced.  Students  reach this stage after 10 years of general education and option for Chemistry with a  purpose of mostly for pursuing their career in basic sciences or professional courses like  medicines, engineering, technology and studying courses in applied areas of science and  technology at tertiary level.  Therefore, at this stage, there is a need to provide learners  with sufficient conceptual background of Chemistry, which will make them competent to  meet the challenges of academic and professional courses after the higher secondary  stage.

National Curriculum Framework-2005 recommends a disciplinary approach with  appropriate rigour and depth with the care that syllabus is not heavy and at the same time  it is comparable to the international level.  It emphasizes a coherent focus on important  ideas within discipline that are properly sequenced to optimize learning.  It recommends  that theoretical component of Higher Secondary Science should emphasize on problem  solving methods and the awareness of historical development of key concepts of science  by judiciously integrated into content.  The present exercise of syllabus development in  Chemistry at Higher Secondary Stage is based on this framework.  

Salient features of the present syllabus are thus:

•  Some background of Chemistry from secondary stage is assumed; however, no  specific knowledge of topics in Chemistry is pre-supposed.

•  The course is self-contained and broadly covers fundamental concepts of  Chemistry.

•  Attempt has been made to see discipline of Chemistry does not remain only  the  science of facts but becomes related to modern applications in the world around  us.

•  The syllabus provides logical sequencing of the ’Units’ of the subject matter with  proper placement of concepts with their linkages for better understanding.

•  Emphasis has been on promoting process-skills, problem solving abilities and  applications of concepts of Chemistry useful in real life situation for making  learning of Chemistry more relevant, meaningful and interesting.

•  An effort has been made on the basic of feedback, to remove repetition besides  reducing the content by suitably integrating the different content areas.

•  Practical syllabus has two components.  There are core experiments to the  undertaken by the students in the classroom and will be part of examination while

each student will carry out one investigatory project and submit the report for the  examination.

•  With this background, the Chemistry curriculum at the higher secondary stage

attempts to

•  Promote understanding of basic principles in Chemistry while retaining the  excitement in Chemistry;

•  Develop an interest in students to study Chemistry as discipline;

•  Strengthen the concepts developed at the secondary stage and to provide firm  foundation for further learning of Chemistry at tertiary level more effectively.

•  Develop positive scientific attitude, and appreciate contribution of Chemistry  towards the improvement of quality of human life.

•  Develop problem solving skills and nurture curiosity, aesthetic and creativity.

•  Inculcate values of honesty, integrity, cooperation, concern for life and  reservation of the environment;

•  Make the learner realize the interface of Chemistry with other disciplines of  science such as Physics, Biology, Geology, etc;

•  Equip students to face challenges related to health, nutrition, environment,  population, whether industries and agriculture.

Feedback may be forwarded to neet-ug@mciindia.org  by 11th Aug 2011