Things have changed for the better and worse. There has been a lot of rethinking in terms of course content. However, both teachers and students are losing dight of the fundamentals. The structure of SSC papers has also become tougher. Like, there is a section in the mathematics paper which includes questions that can be attempted only by the better students.
Some balance is needed here.
Similarly, teachers and students do not pay sufficient attention to the fundamentals. Ask a student to do multiplication today and he or she immediately reaches for a calculator. To a large extent, the curriculum is. There are now several innovative as well as high-tech teaching aids available. Teaching methods are also quite alright.