THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In A first-of-its-kind initiative in the state, students who secure low grades in annual exams will be provided academic support at home during summer vacation to ensure that they achieve the desired learning outcomes before the commencement of the next academic year.
The State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has come up with a blueprint for the comprehensive academic support programme, which will be further fine-tuned after discussions with all stakeholders.
The state follows a five-point grading system for Classes I to VIII and nine-point grading for Classes IX and X. The academic support programme is intended for students who secure a ‘D’ grade and below in Class IX and ‘E’ grade in Classes I to VIII, as students awarded these grades are considered to have not achieved the desired capabilities.
For Classes I to VIII, the grades do not affect promotion to higher classes as the Right To Education (RTE) Act prescribes ‘all pass’ up to that level. However, the grading is seen as a valuable indicator of the performance of the students. However, a Class IX student has to secure at least a D+ (above 30%) to be promoted to Class X.
Teachers will be directed to complete the evaluation of the answer scripts for the final examination in the first week of April. A list of students who secured ‘E’ grades from Classes I to VIII and ‘D’ and ‘E’ grades in Class IX will be included in the programme. The teachers will visit the houses of children needing support. One or two special sessions per week will be held during the two-month vacation period. The support of special educators will also be utilised for children with special needs.
After providing the required support, the students will be assessed using the question paper of the final examination. “It is intended to complete the re-assessment before the beginning of the next academic year. Owing to the Lok Sabha election during the vacation period, the schedule could be slightly delayed to June, “ said SCERT director Jayaprakash R K.
Ensuring learning outcomes
According to SCERT officials, the academic support programme was launched in the wake of national surveys indicating that children in the state had not achieved the desired learning outcomes, especially in mathematics, social studies and languages. Besides, the all-promotion norm up to Class VIII has led to a majority of teachers not viewing the final exam and terminal exams with the seriousness they deserve. Owing to this, many children get promoted to higher classes without achieving the required capabilities.