Now the intermediate students of commerce stream enrolled in schools affiliated to UP Board will also have the option to study economics.
Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UPMSP), formally known as UP Board, has introduced the NCERT syllabus for commerce from the academic session 2021–22, that has also resulted in a change of the optional subject available for the commerce stream students in class 12, informed a senior UP Board official.
The official said that the proposal of the UP Board in this regard has been approved by the state government and soon tender for publishing new books based on this new syllabus would be issued.
Earlier, the commerce stream students had general Hindi, bookkeeping and accounting, besides business organisation and communication as essential subjects with English, banking, mathematics and elementary statistics, the principle of insurance and behaviour, computer, the industrial organisation as well as commercial geography and economics as optional subjects and out of which students could choose any two, the officials explained.
However, now, in the new NCERT based syllabus, the students will have three essential subjects, including general Hindi, accounting, and business studies, along with two optional subjects that they would need to choose from economics, English, mathematics and computer.
As a result, while the students earlier had the choice to choose two from seven optional subjects, now they would need to opt for two out of the four optional subjects available to them, the officials explained.
UP Board teachers teaching commerce have welcomed the change.
“Under the new syllabus, students would now get detailed knowledge regarding financial statement as well their analysis and interpretation, along with concepts of cash flow statement in accounting. Likewise, in business studies, they will learn about principles and functions of management, financial management and financial markets besides marketing and consumer protection,” said Anant Kumar, lecturer (commerce) at Allahabad Inter College Prayagraj.
He said that the NCERT-based syllabus would help students better understand concepts like the Indian economy, macro and microfinance besides banking and statistics. This would also help in the aim of having a uniform education system across the country, he added.
