CBSE Class 11 and 12 students can opt for Applied Mathematics from this session

Applied Mathematics is for students from Class 11 who opt for social sciences, and will primarily be about practical application of the subject.

School students | Representational image | Commons

New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will bring in Applied Mathematics for Classes 11 and 12 in all schools affiliated to it from the 2020-21 academic session. 

CBSE already offers two levels of Mathematics — basic (easy) and standard (tough) — for students at the level of Class 10. Basic is for those who do not want to continue studying Maths after Class 10 and standard is for those who want to continue with the subject. This was introduced last year on the basis of recommendations from experts. 

For the session that is about to begin, students in higher classes will have the option to choose between ‘Mathematics’ and ‘Applied Mathematics’, which will be for those who have opted for social sciences in Class 11. Applied Mathematics is more about practical application of the subject. 

The idea behind introducing this subject is to make it relevant for those who do not want to study core Mathematics but use it for data interpretation, business, finance, graphical representation and other similar things. 

“Mathematics is widely used in higher studies in the field of Economics, Commerce, Social Sciences and many others. It has been observed that the existing syllabus of Mathematics aligns well with Science subjects, but does not align well with Commerce or Social Science-based subjects in university education. Keeping this in mind, one more elective course in Mathematics syllabus will be offered for Sr. Secondary classes with an aim to provide students relevant experience in Mathematics which can be used in the fields other than Physical Sciences,” a circular sent Wednesday to all CBSE affiliated schools, reads. 

Applied Mathematics for better understanding of statistical tools

According to the CBSE circular, the objectives behind introducing Applied Mathematics is “to develop an understanding of basic mathematical and statistical tools and their applications in the field of commerce (business/finance/economics) and social sciences; to model real world experiences/problems into mathematical expressions using numerical/algebraic/graphical representation and make sense from the data by organizing, representing, interpreting, analysing it”.  

The board also said that in the future, all subjects could be offered at two levels with the students doing at least two to three of the six subjects at the standard level and the rest at the higher level. 

The board further explained that the students who want to opt for higher studies in Mathematics at the University level or want to take admission in Mathematics Honours course or Engineering course may take Mathematics. The Applied Mathematics course is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of Mathematics that are required to be successful in different fields of their future career. 

The board has also advised teachers and parents to be mindful of the difference between two subjects before helping students opt for the subject.