WBCHSE to introduce tailored math subjects for arts & commerce students

Kolkata: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has announced plans to introduce specially-designed mathematics subjects for students in the arts and commerce streams, beginning from the 2025-26 academic year.

Currently, all students interested in studying mathematics, regardless of their chosen stream, are required to follow the same high-level syllabus intended for science students. Acknowledging that the current mathematics syllabus, which is aligned with the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) level, can be excessively challenging for non-science students, the WBCHSE has decided to introduce specially tailored mathematics subjects for arts and commerce students. Chiranjib Bhattacharya, president of WBCHSE, explained that the new courses, ‘Basic Mathematics’ for arts students and ‘Commercial Mathematics’ for commerce students, will be introduced to alleviate these difficulties.

“The current mathematics syllabus is designed for science students, covering topics such as complex and advanced arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, integral and differential calculus and solution of differential equations, which arts and commerce students do not need,” Bhattacharya said.

Under the new curriculum structure, arts students will have a simplified mathematics syllabus that excludes advanced topics like solution of differential equations. The focus will be on foundational concepts in integration and differential calculus, with more complex areas removed. Complex areas of trigonometry are also being removed.

Similarly, the ‘Commercial Mathematics’ subject for commerce students will include basic mathematics along with relevant sections of statistics, specifically tailored to support subjects like Economics, Accountancy and

Business Studies. These new mathematics options will be available to students enrolling in Class XI in the upcoming 2025-26 session.