CHENNAI: The new syllabus under the common school system (CSS) will be out in the next few days, Thangam Thennarasu, Minister for School Education, said on Monday.
Thennarasu made the announcement at a symposium organised by the Directorate of Teacher Education, Research and Training on ‘Strategies for development of textbooks.’ While the Draft Common Syllabus-2009 has been online for a month now for securing feedback, the minister said that the final draft would be submitted to Chief Minister M Karunanidhi soon for his approval.
Thennarasu also said that the textbooks for Class I and Class VI were in the process of being finalised and would be printed in June.
Prof Krishnakumar, Director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) said that textbooks should only be a tool for learning and not the ultimate aim of a study process.
“Why do you think our current system of studies is so stressful and creates anxiety? It is because of the time factor. Teachers are running to meet exam deadlines while a student is spending 15 hours a day with his textbook to master it,” Krishnakumar said.
Quoting from the Learning Without Burden report that was tabled in 1991, Krishnakumar said that flexibility in education was of prime importance. “A lot is taught but very less is learnt. The mode, the syllabus, the style of learning should all differ for a child depending on his age. This can be done after proper assessment. I have gone through some of the textbooks that have been prepared under the new system. While Math has been dealt with very well with a different approach to problems, the Science syllabus was dense,” the professor noted.
Krishnakumar also elaborated on the five principles that textbook writers should bear in mind. “A child’s life outside school must reflect that of his life outside it. Rote learning methods should be discouraged.
Learning should go beyond textbooks. Every child should be made eligible for participating in a democratic order. Exam systems should become more flexible and merciful,” he said.