THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the General Education Department deciding to go ahead with the Higher Secondary Plus-II examinations as per schedule, the slow progress of online classes has left students worried. In such a scenario, parents and teachers have demanded either trimming the Plus-II syllabus or conducting practical examinations after the public examinations in March.
Though there are around 52-course combinations in Higher Secondary, classes for only 21 combinations are being offered through the KITE Victers channel due to technical constraints. Classes for other subjects and course combinations are offered through its YouTube channel. For some rare subject combinations, no online classes have started yet, point out students.
“For a section of the Higher Secondary students who have private tuition or have parents at home to help them in studies, covering the portions is not much of a concern. For others, it is a matter of anxiety and stress,” said the principal of a government higher secondary school in the capital. Though school-based online support activities have been launched, they are successful only in aided schools, a majority of them in urban areas. Most of the government schools in rural areas still lack such initiatives due to technical limitations.
“In coordination with SCERT, we have decided to step up the number of online classes for Plus-II students to around eight a day and hope to finish the portions online by the end of January,” said an official of KITE Victers. However, academics have expressed doubts over the efficacy of cramming students with online classes ahead of examinations.With national boards such as CBSE already agreeing to cut down the syllabus, the state general education department should also consider such a proposal due to the peculiar situation prevailing in the state, opined Manoj S of Aided Higher Secondary Teachers’ Association.
Another proposal being mooted is conducting practical examinations after the public examinations in March. “Doing so would give one and a half month extra to cover the portions and effectively utilise doubt clearance sessions in schools,” pointed out Anil M George, general secretary, Higher Secondary School Teachers’ Association. According to a senior official of the General Education Department, deferring the practical examination could be considered but postponing the examination beyond March was not practicable as the state would be facing an election in April-May.
At a disadvantage
Though there are around 52-course combinations in Higher Secondary, classes for only 21 combinations are being offered through the KITE Victers channel. For some rare subject combinations, no online classes have started yet, point out students