Bridge course for students with learning difficulties in classes 4, 5

CHENNAI: To fill the learning gap among students and to help them catch up with the concepts of junior classes, the Directorate of Elementary Education (DEE) has decided to conduct bridge courses for Tamil, English and Mathematics subjects for students of classes 4 and 5.

The bridge course will be conducted for both the government and government-aided schools across the State.

According to the DEE circular, as per the basic assessment conducted for students of classes 1 to 5, it was found that a certain number of students in classes 4 and 5 have learning difficulty and lack the understanding of concepts from primary classes (1,2 and 3).

Subsequently, these assessments for students were held by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) a couple of months ago in the Tamil Nadu School Education Department (TNSED) schools mobile app.

“Through the assessment, it has become aware that some students do not know alphabets in both Tamil and English subjects. Also, certain students have difficulty in doing basic calculations such as addition and subtraction. Hence, this bridge course will help these students understand basics needed for higher classes, ”stated the DEE circular.

Meanwhile, department sources say that the bridge course might begin in trimester, starting January 2, 2023 as currently teachers are focused on finishing the portions for exams to be held in December.

Speaking about the assessment a government teacher in Nagapattinam said, “Through the TNSED schools’ app, teachers asked a few questions to students and answers were uploaded on the app. And, through this assessment, SCERT has found students with certain learning difficulties.”

“For the bridge course, SCERT has designed study material. We are told that these study materials have reached the respective Chief Educational Officers (CEOs) office at each district. Hence, it is likely that the bridge course will begin in January. Nevertheless, we have received no information from the department, ”added the teacher.

However, an official from the DEE confirmed to DT NEXT that schools in TN have already begun the bridge course with the study materials.