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Time of India
12 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Want to use free GCC toilets? Cough up 10
Chennai: Vyasarpadi residents, including women and children, are being charged to use Greater Chennai Corporation public toilets despite these being designated free of charge. Additionally, public toilets in Sathyamurthy Nagar, Kalyanapuram, Kennedy Street and Gandhipuram are neglected and unsanitary. Residents say they are charged 10 for adults and 5 for children for using the toilets. The facilities are often littered with plastic waste, cigarette butts and broken beer bottles. Many toilets are locked for several hours, and some even lack doors. For instance, the Kennedy Street public toilet has been locked. "We have to walk almost 1 km to find a toilet," said S Kumari, a Sathyamurthy Nagar resident. "Pregnant women depend on others to take them to the toilet on a scooter. Often, we have to wait in long lines or use the open ground nearby," she said. The toilet on Kennedy Street is open from 5am to 8am and again from 5pm to 7pm. At least 50 to 70 women use it daily. "We are conservancy workers employed under contract by GCC. We start our day at 3.30am to sweep the roads, but we don't have ID cards and are sometimes harassed by the police who demand 500," said V Shanthi, a Kennedy Street resident. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo "The toilet doors in Kalyanapuram have been temporarily fixed, yet, someone must stand guard while another uses the toilet," she added. Students from the nearby corporation school also use this toilet. "It is closed after 6pm. Tipplers use it as a drinking spot," said civic activist Jaiganesh L M. Toilets in core city areas are maintained better compared to those in North Chennai. Ward 46 councillor S Anandhi said, "No official complaints have been received about money being collected. We will take action to ensure toilets are accessible to all, free of charge. "
Time of India
27-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Trim syllabus for state board students, demand teachers
Chennai: Teachers want lighter textbooks and a trimmed syllabus for state board students. The Tamil Nadu govt has announced the revision of the state board curriculum and textbooks for all classes after a gap of six years. This is to be done in a phased manner from 2025-26 to 2029-30. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai Teachers welcomed the move but want the size and content of textbooks reduced based on the number of transactional hours in classrooms. They said the present textbooks are voluminous, and some lessons are not updated with current examples. The syllabus and textbooks were revised from 2017 to 2019 to prepare state board students for national-level competitive exams after the introduction of the NEET for medical admissions. The higher secondary syllabus was updated after a gap of 12 years. "The textbooks are too heavy for children; they have to carry two volumes in higher classes. The books should be in-depth at the same time with fewer pages," said S Dhilip, an English teacher. V Shanthi, a commerce teacher, said teachers struggle to complete the portion. "Earlier, with less content, we used to take two to three periods for certain topics. This is not possible now as we can't complete the portion in time. The textbooks must be interesting, and they should take feedback from us on prioritising topics," she said. P Perumalsamy, a retired physics teacher, said state board textbooks are visually appealing compared to NCERT textbooks, with more pictures, QR codes, and illustrations. "However, classroom teaching is still mark-based. The focus must change to ensure attainment of minimum learning levels for each class," he said. N Vijayan, who wrote textbooks for state board students, said CBSE has reduced nearly 20% of the syllabus for key subjects. "State board students have more lessons. The revision of the syllabus and textbooks should focus on quality rather than quantity," he said. He sought a greater role for schoolteachers in revising the syllabus and writing the textbooks. A subject expert involved in the revision of textbooks in 2017, also agreed that the syllabus needs to be trimmed. But he said the earlier revision was to prepare state board students for national-level competitive exams. "The intended changes in classroom teaching and learning did not happen in the past five years. Along with the revision, there should be continuous and regular in-service training for teachers to update their knowledge. Only then will classroom-level learning change," he said.
