The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has introduced new initiatives this year to increase enrolment rates at primary and upper primary standards in Coimbatore.
The norms for introducing English medium sections in Government and aided schools has been liberalised to attract more students, Coimbatore Additional Chief Education Officer (SSA) R. Thiruvalarselvi told The Hindu here on Monday.
Schools have been empowered to start English sections if they can admit 20 students. This relaxation is applicable to Standards I and VI. English medium was allowed only in five schools a block, which on an average had around 150 schools. Ms. Thiruvalarselvi added that the Tamil medium would continue to function in these schools.
Model schools, with quality infrastructure and aiming for high-level of achievement among students, would also be established in all 22 blocks of Coimbatore SSA, which includes all the 15 blocks of Coimbatore and 7 of Tirupur. Of the 14 educational blocks in Tirupur revenue district, half come under Coimbatore SSA and the rest, Erode SSA.
Dictation classes in both English and Tamil would be conducted with focus on spelling and usage.
From the coming academic year, Ms. Thiruvalarselvi said government incentives such as free bicycles, textbooks, and education material would be given to students by June so that they have all tools the day classes begin. These were distributed in phases during the last academic year.
Teachers would be trained to ensure benefits from student-centric initiatives such as Activity-based learning (ABL), Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) and Active Learning Methodology (ALM). A meeting of parents would be convened in June to explain concepts such as the CCE, Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, and the responsibilities of parents in educating their child, she added.
