‘Make curriculum attractive to students’

Professor M Anandakrishnan, Chairman of Tamil Nadu Curriculum Framework Committee, spoke about the challenges his team has ahead of them. “There are around 58,000 schools in the city and close to 5.7 lakh teachers for over 13 million students. The size is only bound to grow. The child who joins school now will pass out by 2030, by which time, there will be a sea change – technical, economic and social. Our challenge is to keep up with that,” he explained. He also stressed on the importance of making the reading material interesting. “The books should not turn the students off. Special attention must be given to design the textbooks to keep their attention,” said the professor and former Vice-Chancellor of Anna University. 

Talking about the present-day examination system, he pointed that it is now used as a filtering system. “Instead, it should be part of the learning system. Students feel benefited not threatened,” he said. 

He also pointed out that universities often ignore school education system. “Our aim is to find a way of making school education a collateral, if not integral, part of higher education system.” 

Achim Fabig, German Consul-General in Chennai, pointed out that education has become a global exercise, where, what happens in one part of the globe impacts on other countries too. Individuality and solidarity, according to him, are the key lessons that students must imbibe. They must be allowed to think for themselves and their contribution must make the world a better place. This would require mentors he said and  emphasised on the need to have good teachers. 

While addressing the gathering, School Education Minister KA Sengottaiyan said, “We will take your suggestions and decide on how to design the new curriculum.” He also talked about bringing in reforms in the school education department. 

Talking about NEET, he said that two state ministers have gone to New Delhi in order to speak to the centre about Tamil Nadu’s stand against it. 

T Udhayachandran, School Education Secretary, G Arivoli, director, SCERT, Dr Mylswamy Annadurai, Director ISAC in Bengaluru, Prof Hrushikesh Senapaty, Director of NCERT and Armoogum Parasuramen, former Minister of Education, Mauritius, were also present at the seminar.