The Puducherry Government is formulating a long-term plan for the development of education, E. Vallavan, Education Additional Secretary and Director of School Education said on Saturday.
Addressing a ‘School Excellence Conclave’ hosted by the city chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Mr. Vallavan said a high-level committee is already on the job and “we hope that we have a workable plan” that will raise education standards overall and better prepare students to excel in national level competitive examinations.
The official pointed out that though Puducherry has, for the fifth consecutive year, topped the country in the Education Development Index — which is based on parameters such as People-Teacher, School-Classroom and Student-Classroom ratios and learning outcomes — it lagged behind in some areas of higher education such as representation in IITs and other premier institutions.
Stating that introduction of CBSE system in government schools was aimed at preparing students to get through competitive entrance tests, Mr. Vallavan sought to allay apprehensions in some quarters over the new system. “We’ve taken the decision in the best interests of the students,” he said.
The CBSE curriculum is being rolled out in the first class of all schools, and up to the fifth class in schools which have English as medium of instruction.
Education Minister T. Thiagarajan said though small in size the UT had made it big in the education sector, primarily because the Government never allowed economic difficulty to stand in the way of providing educational infrastructure.
I. Syed Sajjadh Ali, chairman, CII Puducherry, said it was not numbers but quality and raising standards from “good to a level of excellence” that mattered in education.
The CII had submitted to the government a proposal for implementing the model for achieving excellence in school education developed by its Institute of Quality in Bangalore and was willing to work in close partnership with the administration on realising this, he said.
A. Senthil Kumaran, Head, Education Excellence, CII Institute of Quality said the framework for excellence in school education had become a proven model in cities where it had been piloted.
