For the last two to three years, teachers and many sensible people have been demanding a change in the course content for Classes 9, 10, First Year, and Second Year. The main reason was that the current syllabus is outdated, overloaded, and not suitable for the learning pace of students. Finally, in 2025, the Government of Punjab decided to change the syllabus for Classes 9 and First Year. This is a good step, but it also raises serious concerns about whether the new books will really make things easier for students or just add to their struggles.

In Classes 9 and 10, students study around eight to nine subjects. This is a huge amount of content to be covered in what is essentially an eight-month academic year. The rest of the months are lost due to long summer vacations, winter holidays, and other breaks. Teachers have to rush through lessons, and students barely have time to digest what they learn before moving on to the next topic.

From my own experience, I believe the physics and chemistry syllabus for Class 9 is challenging but acceptable. First Year books are also quite good, and in some cases, like computer science book, there is excellent content that actually benefits the students.

However, when it comes to the Class 9 computer science book, the situation is alarming. Surprisingly, it feels even tougher than the First Year computer science book. The problem is not just the length of the syllabus but the language used. The English is unnecessarily complicated, the sentences are long and confusing, and the presentation of topics makes them harder to understand. Instead of simplifying concepts for students, the book ends up making them more difficult. Many private schools are struggling with it, and keeping that in mind, one can imagine the condition in government schools with fewer resources.

To make matters worse, the Government of Punjab forces all schools to close for three months in the summer and almost one month in the winter. This leaves very little time to complete the syllabus, prepare students for exams, and give them enough practice to perform well. With such limited teaching days and such a heavy syllabus, both teachers and students are under constant pressure.

If we truly want to improve education, we need to design books that match the learning level of students. The language should be simple, the concepts clear, and the workload reasonable. More importantly, the number of subjects and topics should be reduced so that students can focus on truly understanding what they learn instead of just memorizing it for exams. Education should be a guide and an inspiration for young minds, not a burden they carry with stress and frustration.

The author is an Islamabad-based data analyst and author of the book “Landmark Trials That Shaped America”.