Panel may ensure gripping syllabus

The Curriculum Framework Committee that has been constituted to revise the syllabus of State board schools features an eclectic mix of experts from various spheres.

The committee will have painter Trotsky Marudhu, writer Theodore Baskaran as well as R. Ramanujam, Professor, Institute of Mathematical Sciences, E. Sundaramoorthy, former Vice-Chancellor, Tamil University Thanjavur and educationist Kala Vijaykumar among others.

“The composition of the committee was planned in such a way that we were able to strike a balance between academicians as well as artists, writers and educationists. The committee will form sub-groups by inducting more experts for specific areas,” said T. Udhayachandran, Principal Secretary, School Education Department.

Speaking to

The Hindu , M. Anandakrishnan, former Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, who heads the committee, said that the syllabus from Classes I to XII needed to be updated, revised and modified according to current needs and that children should be exposed to more relevant topics. “The committee will not just stop with overseeing the syllabus revision but will also have to look at ways of effective implementation with regard to learning and teaching methods,” he said. He further said that the committee would also focus on the restoration of self-confidence among students and parents so that they can attempt any national-level examination without any doubts.

The last revision of the Classes XI and XII curriculum was implemented in 2003 and 2004 respectively. Experts weighed in and said that the process towards revising the curriculum gained momentum following questions surrounding the students of the State board syllabus and how competent they were to take up NEET. .

Three-step process

The process followed by the Curriculum Framework Committee will involve three steps: framing the curriculum, finalising the syllabus, and textbook writing. For the purpose of textbook writing, nearly 1,000 teachers from across the country have applied after the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) called for resource persons to participate in the process.

An official from the SCERT said that the participation of teachers from across the country and even a few from abroad in the textbook writing process would ensure that a lot of interesting curriculum practices and facets of different syllabi will be brought in.

The headmaster from a government school in the city said that the inclusion of a mix of experts in the curriculum framework would hopefully contribute to a more engaging syllabus. “At the higher secondary level, many students are taught with the focus of scoring marks which should be done away with. Promotion of comprehension skills and competitive levels of understanding is the need of the hour,” he said.