The Tamil Nadu School Education department is all set to scrap the trimester system of education for students of class 8 from the academic year 2020-21. The move comes after the state introduced board exams for students of classes five and eight, which will be based on the portions taught during the entire year.
The decision, which is contrary to the intention behind introducing trimester system in the state, has raised eyebrows among education experts and other stakeholders.
A calculated move
The trimester system of education was introduced in Tamil Nadu after much thought in 2011 and was implemented in Tamil Nadu’s schools from the academic year 2012-13. Under this system, students from class one to class eight will have their annual syllabus split into three and will have to study only the syllabus earmarked for that particular trimester. It was also seen as a way of reducing the weight of school bags carried by the children.
As per an older news report, the Government Order which introduced this system said, “The rationale for introducing the trimester system is to create a school where teaching and learning is valued with an emphasis on learning outcomes demonstrated in students’ performance. A well-designed curriculum through thinner books along with creative instructional practices will form the key to success.” A policy note for the year 2018-19 from the government of Tamil Nadu also states that the move was brought in to reduce the physical strain undergone by the students who are made to carry bulky books.
‘Good move to ensure literacy’
KR Nandhakumar, State General Secretary, Tamil Nadu Nursery and Primary Matriculation Higher Secondary and CBSE Schools Association, who is also a parent, says that the decision to scrap trimester system due to board exams for students is a welcome move.
“Anything to ensure that the students study, is good for us as parents. In many schools, teachers don’t even teach properly and the status of students in terms of the ability to read or write properly is bad. At this level, it will only get tougher when such students are going to higher classes. It is best that such issues are addressed in lower classes,” he explains.
When pointed out that this will increase the weight of books carried by students every day to school, Nandhakumar says that it is not as big a concern as is being pointed out by others.
“It is better to carry books at this stage and study well than end up carrying gunny bags and doing daily wage work. Also, it is not as if students need to carry weight all the time. Now, we are moving towards digital classrooms and adapting to technologically advanced study systems. So I don’t see it as a big issue,” he adds.
‘What’s the need to meddle’
While parents are broadly happy about the move to revert to the older annual examination system, education experts are not convinced about the government’s decision.
“When a system is working perfectly fine, why is there a need to bring something new into it and confuse it all over again?” asks Jayaprakash Gandhi, an education consultant. He also says that it is not a right move to bring in public exams for class eight students.
“If the government feels that the students need some evaluation at the end of class eight, let them carry out the old method with added evaluation methods. These must not be considered for marks aspect or their promotion to the next class. At the maximum, the schools can grade the students,” he says, adding that introducing board exams at such an early stage will negatively impact the students’ capacity to learn while in school.
“Schools will now start becoming like coaching centres with the aim of passing the final exam than focusing on the learning aspect. A spillover effect would be that students will not be allowed to participate in any co-curricular or extracurricular activities,” he explains.
Pointing out that the decision of the central government to bring in board exams for students of class eight contradicts with the vision spelled out in the National Education Policy drafts — of encouraging liberal arts and vocational education, he said that board exams at a young age will not help the students to broaden their horizons.
“That’s why we keep saying, please either give complete autonomy to the state government or the central government. Having Education in the Concurrent List is only ruining things now. Only if they do this, can we sustain and improve the quality of education in the future,” he adds.
Source: The News Minute