Engineering lessons begin in schools in UK

Two teachers from the London-based Royal Doghs Community School who are visiting prominent schools here, including the Rajagiri Public School, Kalamassery, as part of an international education exchange programme, feel that the education system in the two countries is vastly different and both could benefit from co-operation and knowledge sharing.

“During our three-week stay, we visited three schools and actively participated in the day-to-day activities by taking classes and interacting with students and teachers,” said Miss Nabia Kitouni, Food Technology Teacher with a London school.

While the two teachers felt that Indian students were “well-behaved and much more hard working”, the scope of the curriculum was limited. “Our curriculum is very broad and includes a lot many more subjects. We believe in ‘the earlier the better’ principle. The student should get a taste of everything before he/ she thinks about higher education,” Miss Kitouni and Miss Josefin Bor’en, Art and Design teacher, said.

The subjects they offer in schools include, System & Controls, Electronics, Engineering, Graphics, Textiles, Food Technology, Resist out Materials (works using wood, glass, plastic and the like). But the focus is given to the core subjects of English, Science and Maths, which form the basis of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examination, a qualification equivalent to Plus 2.

“In states like Kerala, students opt for specialization and would study the subject in depth, while students in the UK could opt for jobs directly after doing their GCSE examinations. Students can look out for jobs only if they have reached 16 years of age. Usually, after their secondary school education, most opt for internship though we encourage two years of college education,” said Miss Josefin.

The teachers from Rajagiri are set to visit the UK school in a few months’