A debate has been stirred in Tamil Nadu over the quality and competitiveness of the State Board school syllabus. Governor RN Ravi and the School Education Minister have taken opposite stands. So, is the State Board syllabus uncompetitive?
A few days ago, Governor Ravi said the syllabus in Tamil Nadu, especially that of the State Board is very low. It is not competitive. It is certainly far behind, far below, he said urging the students to look beyond it.
School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi however disagreed with the Governor. He argued that the State Board syllabus was on par with that the Central Board of Secondary Education or CBSE syllabus. According to him, an inspection of libraries revealed that students preparing for competitive examinations preferred the State Board textbooks. The Minister said, “our syllabus is designed to make students feel confident, not inferior about studying at State Board schools.”
So was this yet another case of the Governor and the Government taking different stands on an issue? No. This time, the Government found support from the academic community. Former Anna University Vice Chancellor E Balagurusamy, who had also served as Member of the Union Public Service Commission, was quick to reject the Governor’s argument. He charged Ravi had made a wild statement about the State Board syllabus. “This was really unfortunate and absolutely wrong,” said the well known academic.
What are the concerns raised about the competitiveness of the State Board students in the past? What are some of the key factors that may have adversely impacted the interests of students in taking up competitive examinations?
Presentation: D Suresh Kumar
Video: Thamodharan B
Production: Shibu Narayan
Published – September 05, 2024 09:49 pm IST
