Teachers want timely supply of Plus One textbooks

At present, books have been provided only for English and Tamil
While classes have begun for higher secondary first year students under Samacheer Kalvi this week, teachers say they have no idea about when the text books with contents of newly-framed syllabus for all subjects would be supplied.

At present, text books have been provided only for English and Tamil, and the teachers are managing with content downloaded from the Internet for keeping the students engaged.

Citing the website of the Tamil Nadu Textbook Society, which states that the new syllabus text books for higher secondary first year will be made available shortly, a school headmaster hoped that the books will be made available in the open market in the next few days.

Since the State Government has decided to conduct public examination for Plus One students, the teachers were worried that delay in supply of books will cause difficulties in completing the portions.

The content has been upgraded on par with that of the CBSE. Sasikumar, a teacher involved in framing the new syllabi, said the contents of IGSCE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) and ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) were also evaluated before creating the new content for Plus One.

School heads say that in the first place the teachers require some time to acquaint themselves to the new syllabus that will be in place after a huge gap of 12 years.

The school education department has planned to conduct an orientation session on the new syllabus for the teachers, sources said.

The teachers were busy with valuation work till mid-May, and they have had only a short break.

Though the annual academic calendar has not been made available to the schools so far, the Education Department has understandably sounded the teachers of the possibility for increasing the number of working days to 225 from 210 from the current academic year.

In all probability, the Department of School Education and Directorate of Government Examinations will reduce the number of holidays in between examinations, Antony Anbarasu, a headmaster in a government higher secondary school said.

Working days

While taking a positive note of the plan to increase the number of working days, higher secondary teachers emphasise that the government must spare them from non-academic work such as election duty, henceforth.

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