Revamped TN textbooks to be on par with NCERT, ICSE

“Classes 2, 7, 10 and 12 will have their syllabi upgraded in 2019-20 so that students who move to these classes next year will continue with the upgraded syllabus from the previous year, without a break,” officials said. 

“Classes 3, 4, 5 and 8 will have their syllabi revised in 2020-21 thereby ensuring that the new syllabus for all classes is on par with NCERT, ICSE and those of neighbouring states” officials said. Printing of textbooks for classes 1, 6 and 9 is over. 

Over 90 per cent work on class 11 books has also been completed. Students will get the new books when they return to school for the next academic year, they added. That this is a monumental task can be gauged from the fact that syllabi revision had to be done for 24 regular subjects in addition to another 12 under the state’s vocational stream. 

“This will also be the first time that all subjects will have a QR code for each lesson which can be scanned by students using mobile phones,” officials said. This would also be the first time that teachers would be provided with a handbook.

“Similarly, subjects like music, drawing and sewing will get textbooks for the first time for classes 1, 4 and 9 while PET (Physical Education and Training) will henceforth be named PHE (Physical Health Education) and will also have a proper syllabus,” officials said. 

To ensure that students studied the entire textbook and not portions marked out by teachers, classes 10 and 12 textbooks would not have a ‘blueprint’ as provided earlier, officials said and added that  this was considered one reason for the state’s poor showing in competitive exams and the new books will do away with it.