Latest news with #EnnumEzhuthum
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
SLAS review held in Cuddalore; minister urges focus on concept-based learning, better outcomes
CUDDALORE: A State-Level Achievement Survey (SLAS) review meeting was held at Krishnasamy Engineering College auditorium in Kumarapuram, Cuddalore, on Wednesday. The meeting was chaired by Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in the presence of Cuddalore District Collector Sibi Adithya Senthil Kumar. As part of his visit, the Minister inspected ongoing school infrastructure works at Manjakuppam, including classrooms and separate hostel facilities for boys and girls being built at a cost of Rs 19.33 crore. Addressing the gathering, Poyyamozhi said, 'Various schemes have been launched to ensure all students get quality education in a supportive environment.' He highlighted key initiatives including the Illam Thedi Kalvi scheme, which supported home-based learning during the pandemic, and Ennum Ezhuthum, aimed at improving literacy and numeracy for students up to Class 5.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Teachers should put in extra effort to help students understand subjects: Minister
NAMAKKAL: School education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi on Monday advocated a visionary approach in teaching that would help students gain higher educational achievements. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The minister stressed the importance of teachers putting in extra effort to help students understand each subject and respond to questions. The minister was speaking after inaugurating a three-day programme to review the findings of the state level achievement survey (SLAS) for students in classes III, V, and VIII in govt and govt -aided schools. The minister said, "The state-level achievement survey report was made available on the EMIS website on May 27." According to the survey, 61.3% of students passed in Class III, 55% in Class V and 39.6% in Class VIII. In Namakkal district, the survey involved 20,632 students in 1,085 schools. The overall achievement rate for students in classes III, V, and VIII surveyed in Namakkal district stands at 52% while the state-level standard is 33%. The minister reviewed the district rankings with the headmasters, discussing the underperformance of students and the necessary measures to enhance their learning capabilities. According to the minister, the Covid-19 pandemic created a significant gap as students and teachers were unable to attend school. He highlighted that the 'Illam Thedi Kalvi' programme was initiated to address this gap. Subsequently, the Ennum Ezhuthum and Manarkeni apps were launched for students in classes I to V. He mentioned that the Skill Movement has been established to help students in classes VI to IX acquire fundamental and essential skills. District collector Durgamoorthi and District Education and Training Institute principal P Maheshwari were among those participated in the inaugural session.
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
NEP 2020 at 5: Focus on foundational literacy welcomed, but vocational push raises equity concerns
Last week marked the completion of five years of the National Education Policy 2020. While many of its features are problematic, an important positive was that it was the first official government document that talked in some detail about the requirement of imparting the essentials of basic school education: Children should be able to read from a text and write, and should be able to perform basic arithmetic operations. This is described as Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, and the NEP 2020 not only acknowledges it but also stresses it. A budget has been earmarked for it and comes under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, although there is no tracking mechanism on whether the goals are being achieved. An example of such a scheme is the Ennum Ezhuthum programme of the Tamil Nadu government that aims to improve FLN among primary school students. The focus on FLN is significant. In the past, FLN was an expected, natural outcome of primary school education and was taken for granted. For instance, the National Literacy Mission of the Rajiv Gandhi government was focused almost exclusively on adult literacy, assuming that school education was taking care of literacy and numeracy among children. The NLM did not quite take into account the reality that students were passing out of school without basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. It was assumed that whoever went to school would have them and proposed no measure to gauge the skill in school-going children. Today, workers in factories are still unable to read written instructions. During Covid, many missed written instructions because they were unable to read and understand them. Others reach out for a calculator because they have simply not learned basic subtraction and addition. They get cheated on the interest payments on loans they have taken from lenders. FLN requires a separate agenda of its own. The government has to go on mission mode and ensure that in the next five years, all school-going children have the requisite basic literacy and numeracy. A literate society can make leaps in development, advance quickly. The means towards achieving this is not additional Board exams, such as in Classes 5 and 8, which the NEP recommends. These board exams will only lead to a surge in dropouts. Instead the assessment should be on how the respective school, district and State are performing and take corrective measures especially in teacher recruitment and training. Another positive of NEP is Early Childhood Education. This is a welcome direction it has given, but it has not been realistic on the pathway towards achieving it. The NEP talks about school complexes – primary, middle, and high schools with their own infrastructure, teachers, and other resources within a larger university-like school. But these are tough to implement. A workable policy on ECE is a must. A key area where the NEP misses the point is vocationalisation. While it would be welcome if everyone is taught a skill they learn by doing in addition to their subjects, introducing a separate vocational scheme after Class 8 will only lead to reinforcing structural inequalities. It would be inevitable that poorer, lower caste students will take more to vocationalisation. Unfortunately, the NEP advances national and common entrance exams to all college courses besides Engineering and Medicine. This would further devalue school exams and give a boost to coaching classes, while bringing down enrollment in higher education. (This article is written by Balaji Sampath, a physics and math teacher and the founder of AhaGuru. He is also a social activist and the founder of Aid India, which works on education and housing for poor communities.)
New Indian Express
17-07-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Tamil Nadu govt schools to review academic performance during SMC meet on July 25
CHENNAI: The Samagra Shiksha (Integrated Education Department) has directed all government schools in Tamil Nadu to conduct the first School Management Committee (SMC) meeting of the academic year on July 25. Headmasters and teachers have been instructed to review their school's performance in the State-Level Achievement Survey (SLAS) during the meeting and present their respective block, district, and state-level rankings. They are also expected to discuss strategies to improve student learning outcomes. Under the Targeted Help for Improving Remediation and Academic Nurturing (Thiran) initiative, students who are yet to achieve basic learning outcomes have been enrolled in special remedial classes. SMC members must be informed about these students and monitor their progress. After six months, the committee can assess improvements in their performance. The agenda also includes updates on the implementation of Ennum Ezhuthum, donations received through Namma School and Namma Oor Palli initiatives, inclusive education efforts, measures to prevent dropouts, awareness of Pocso Act, and career guidance and sports activities. According to the school education department, SMCs across the state have passed 1,92,543 resolutions since their reconstitution in August 2024. These were categorised based on the level of action required – school, district, or state. Of these, 1,50,421 resolutions (78%) have been acted upon. To streamline the redressal process, the department has launched a dedicated application to upload resolutions. SMCs can now classify and submit them under six categories, including emergency, welfare schemes, and infrastructure.
The Hindu
31-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Thiran initiative for Class 6-8 students to begin in July
In an effort to improve government school students' proficiency in Tamil, English and Math, the school education department will introduce the Thiran initiative in July. According to officials from the department, a baseline survey will be conducted when the academic year begins in June and students who haven't attained the minimum education level for the standard will be taken under the initiative. 'As students move up the education ladder, the pressure to show results increases. There's Ennum Ezhuthum for class 1-5. From Class 10 onwards, the students focus on exams. The need to pass the students in the exams takes precedence. There is a need to address the students effectively in Class 6 onwards. This approach will help the student go above than just pass as we identify students who need help from the first step,' said Director of Elementary Education P.A. Naresh. The State-level Achievement Survey showed a dip in the learning outcomes of students in English, Tamil and Math in Class 8 while it was the highest in Class 3. Recognising the need to bridge the gap between the classes, the six-month initiative will run parallel to their schooling during school hours as students catch up with the necessary basics in foundational literacy and numeracy. 'The approach will be customised on curriculum and language needs of the student and the schools in the district. A monthly review meeting will be held at the district-level and State-level to check the progress. A mid-line survey will be conducted in September to check the progress,' he added. The student will be then moved to mainstream education once they achieve the learning goals. 'The initiative not only focuses on knowledge but also critical thinking. There will also be an end-line survey held at the end of six months to check the progress of the student,' the official added.
