Panel formed to upgrade state board syllabus

The committee will be chaired by Munirathna Anandakrishnan, former Vice Chancellor of Anna University. Educationists feel that the changes should be relevant to the changing times and help students decide on the right career when they pass out. Topics such as gender issues and environment will be included in the newly designed syllabus. 

Prof Anandakrishnan said, “The syllabus has to be changed from Class 1-12 and designed in a way that it reflects the changes in the modern education system. The next step is to effectively implement changes by training the teachers.” 

Prof Anandakrishnan was asked a few weeks ago if he would like to chair the committee to which he agreed. The government order came on July 4. The committee members include former IAS officers, scientists and academicians. 

Wellknown names like, Isro Satellite Centre director Mylsamy Annadurai, educationists S Ananthalakshmi and C Ramasamy will now be part of the committee and it will be headed by School Education Minister K A Sengottaiyan. 

The state school education system received much criticism during the NEET episode where people pointed out that the state board portion is outdated. “Lots of students from the state are now demoted because of their performance in NEET. We have to build the confidence in them and reassure that they will perform better next year,” said the former Chairman of IIT Kanpur. 

The minister went on to announce several reforms in the system, including revision of the state board syllabus from Class 1 onwards in three academic years starting next year. Most educationists have appreciated the move to introduce diverse and niche subjects but the higher education options must be upgraded as well. 

Pavittra Arron, consultant with Auuro Educational Services, said, “The changes in the state board curriculum are a futuristic and thoughtful initiative. 

Until now such options were available for students studying under international boards like CIE or IB. CBSE too has many unique options and it’s time for the state boards to gear up and be on a par. We are just hoping that the higher education system also revamps their options. 

We need more programs in specific streams like gender studies/ development studies, financial economics rather than courses like a general economics degree.”