(1) The Academic Council shall be the chief academic body and shall have the right to advise the Board on all academic matters.
Without prejudice to the generality of this provision, the Academic Council shall have the following duties and functions, namely:—
(i) to formulate guiding principles for determining curricula and syllabi for the entire secondary and higher secondary education;
(ii) to consider and submit its recommendations to the Executive Council on the detailed syllabi for all standards except the final standard, after taking into consideration the recommendations of the respective Boards of studies thereon;
(iii) to consider and submit its recommendations to the Executive Council on the curricula and detailed syllabi prepared by the Boards of Studies for the final examinations;
(iv) to formulate general principles for preparing text-books;
(v) to prepare or recommend for prescription to the Executive Council text-books for the standard leading to the final examinations, after taking into consideration the recommendations of the respective Boards of Studies thereon;
(vi) to recommend to the Executive Council standard requirements in respect of staff, building, furniture, equipment, stationery and other things required for secondary and higher secondary schools;
(vii) to recommend to the Board measures to promote physical, moral and social welfare 16 of students in institutions recognized by the Board and the conditions of their residence and discipline;
(viii) to consider and submit its recommendations to the Executive Council on the following matters pertaining to the 20[examinations] after receipt of the recommend-dations of the Boards of Studies:—
(a) the total number of compulsory and optional subjects;
(b) proposals for introduction of new subjects and exclusion of existing subjects;
(c) the formation of groups of subjects and the alteration of such groups;
(d) the number of question papers to be set in each subject;
(e) the maximum and minimum marks, time, duration and standard length for written, oral or practical tests in different subjects or groups of subjects;
(ix) to conduct statistical or other research for the purposes of evaluation and reform of curricula, instruction and examination system;
(x) to co-ordinate the work of the Boards of Studies and to scrutinize the recommendations in regard to various matters with which each Board of Studies is concerned.