Along with the revision of school syllabus, the Tamil Nadu government must also give priority to improving the infrastructure of schools, many observed during a discussion organized by Tamil Nadu Retired College Teachers’ Association here on Sunday.
Speaking at the function, S. Ravanan, a headmaster of a government higher secondary school here, said that the government schools were particularly in need of good laboratory facilities and staff members at higher secondary school where there is a shortage.
“The revision of syllabus is a welcome thing. However, the full benefit will reach the students only when it is comprehended with adequate improvement in infrastructure and availability of staff members,” he said.
Echoing similar thoughts, A. Manoharan, a retired Professor from Bishop Heber College in Tiruchi, said that there were few schools in Madurai district where an hour of rain results in inundation.
He also urged on the need for extensively involving the teachers in drafting and finalizing the syllabus so as to ensure that the new syllabus catered to the needs and challenges on the ground.
Retired and working professors handling different subjects shared their views on the draft syllabus for various subjects put out on the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) website for feedback.
P. Anandakumar, Professor and Head, Department of Tamil, The Gandhigram Rural Institute, highlighted the need for introducing more modern literature and poetry in Tamil syllabus in early stages and classic literature during high school and higher secondary school. “Certain aspects of Tamil grammar that have no relevance today should be omitted to avoid unnecessary burden on the students,” he said.
N. Raman, retired Professor of Physics at The Madura College, said that the curriculum should leverage the use of many online websites that can simulate practical experiments to mitigate the lack of well-equipped laboratories in schools.
S. Joseph Abraham, retired Professor of Chemistry at Government Arts College in Melur, stressed on the importance of reducing the focus on centum results. “Because of this, teachers are using the ‘blue print’ used for setting question papers to advise students on which part of the syllabus they could ignore and still score decent marks,” he said.
B. Parthasarathy, genereal secretary, All India Federation of Retired University and College Teachers’ Association, one of the coordinators of the meeting, said that the feedback received during the discussion would be consolidated and sent to SCERT for their consideration.
