CHENNAI: Listing out various measures taken in recent months including the abolition of ranking system and efforts to revamp the state board syllabus, school education minister K.A. Sengottaiyan said the state government will completely revamp school education in three years.
The school education department has organised a grand seminar on developing new curriculum for state board here on Thursday.
“We all have doubts about how our students are going to face the entrance or competitive exams. Keeping in mind the future of 1.3 crore students, we are taking various steps including revising the syllabus to improve the standard. We have chosen best available experts to come out with new syllabus and curriculum,” Sengottaiyan said while peaking at the inaugural function.
He also welcomed suggestions from educationists and experts to improve school education. “To help students appearing for board exams, the government is planning to add 200 exam centres more this year,” he added.
Isro Satellites Centre director Mylswamy Annadurai urged teachers to teach beyond textbooks.
“Tamil Nadu textbooks have information about the Chandrayan-1 mission. But, it did not have any information on how it helped to detect the presence of water on the moon. Such information will kindle the scientific inquiry among the students,” he said.
“Classes of best teachers will be uploaded as video lessons,” he added.
More than 1,000 teachers and educationists participated in the seminar. For the next two days, 22 sub-committees for various subjects will discuss about the important aspects to be added in new curriculum and syllabus.
New syllabus should help students face any exam
Tamil Nadu Curriculum Framework Committee Chairman and former vice-chancellor M. Anandakrishnan expressed hope that the new syllabus will enable students to face any exam at any time with confidence.
While speaking at the seminar on developing new curriculum here on Thursday he drew attention towards the learning environment at the classrooms.
“We need to have at least black board, desk and chair, toilets and drinking water at schools. Without the basic infrastructure, learning will not be effective irrespective of what you have in your curriculum,” he said.
He said the committee would like to meet with educationists, NGOs and public at Chennai, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli to get feedback on the new syllabus.
“Universities have totally ignored the school education system. We have to find a way in which the school education becomes the collateral part of university education.”
“Syllabus and curriculum needs to be changed every two years,” said Achim Fabig, Consul General of Germany in Chennai.
NCERT director Hrushikesh Senapaty pointed out the paradigm shift in the assessment. “The upcoming National Achievement Survey will assess the students’ competency over the mastery of content. There will be lot of emphasis on competency,” he said.
He urged teachers to focus on building character. “We want good doctors and engineers, but more importantly we want good human beings,” he added.
Armoogam Parasuramen, former director, Unesco (India), asked to bring in the students community and get their feedback on the new curriculum. He also stressed the importance on home grown curriculum.
“The new curriculum should also focus on future and not based on current issues,” said Professor R. Ramanujam from Institute of Mathematical Sciences said.
“We have to change class room environment where we can increase the students’ participation. Non-participation of students is a major concern,” he said.
