Sengottaiyan’s meet with teachers today

According to a circular issued by the School Education Director Dr R Ilangovan, the meeting is scheduled for 12.30 pm at the Thiagarayar Hall in T Nagar. Three representative each from recognised associations and two representatives from registered, but unrecognised associations, will be allowed to take part in the consultations. 

Speaking about the meeting, TN Higher Secondary Schools’ Vocational Education Association general secretary SN Janardhanan said, “The move comes in the backdrop of proposals to revamp the present syllabus of Class 11 and to make it a government examination. Till date Class 11 exam was a mere formality with schools and teachers concentrating more on the Class 12 board examinations. Due to this not much importance was accorded to the first year in the two year Higher Secondary course.”

Though a similar exercise was carried out by Vaigai Selvam when he was the school education minister two years ago, the proposals submitted then, never saw the light of day as the minister was shifted out. 

Thus, members of various associations, who spoke to DTNext, said they were keeping their fingers crossed – especially in the light of the current fluid political situation - in the hope that at least this year their suggestions would be implemented. 

D Ramachandran, president, Vocational Teachers’ Association, said, “A long pending demand is for promotion on a par with teachers of other subjects as we have been languishing without an elevation for nearly three decades.” 

M Rajaraman, president, Commerce Vocational Teachers’ Association, said another major demand was the implementation of the Centre’s RMSA (Rashtriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyan) from Class 9. 

“It is an extension from the SSA which is meant for elementary education while RMSA promises middle school education for all. Though this was promised last year, it somehow failed to materialise even though 90 per cent of the funds for this will be given by the Centre. We have decided to request the state government to implement it this year.” 

Janardhanan added that their association would request extension of vocational education to all the 2,300 government schools in the state. “As of now, vocational education is offered only in 1,600 schools” he noted. “Implementation in all schools will ensure additional job creation for teachers in this branch” he said.

Usually, the consultative meetings are called after the government receives petitions and suggestions from all associations. Mostly, the representatives of those associations, whose petitions were considered important, used to be invited for such meetings, the teachers added.