Thiruvananthapuram: Educational experts have raised apprehensions over the recent announcement of the State government about its plan to introduce a new curriculum and four-year degree Honours courses in the state universities from the coming academic year.
The academicians warned against implementing the decision in a haste during a workshop held on the other day to prepare the revised curriculum framework.
The authorities aim to give a final shape to the model curriculum by February after conducting a series of discussions on the content at various levels, which is a time-consuming affair.
The academic experts suggested that the new courses and curriculum should be implemented only after arriving at a clear picture of the educational reforms, including the syllabus.
Higher Education Department Principal Secretary Ishita Roy replied that the discussions can be held over when to implement the reforms. However, the implementation can’t be delayed indefinitely. She pointed out that the sharp fall in the number of students applying to colleges in the state and the delay of examinations and results should be viewed seriously.
Nearly a hundred teachers of the colleges and universities in the state attended the two-day workshop held here in their capacity as subject experts.
The government is going ahead with the implementation of the new curriculum and four-year degree courses from the next academic year. The concerns being expressed from various quarters are, may be, due to a lack of clarity over the reforms. We aim to form the new curriculum framework before March. Instead of the current teacher-centered education model, the new curriculum is being formed to free the students from having excess study load and enable them to indulge in self-study based on areas of their interest.
Dr R Bindu, High Education Minister
Teachers demand clarity over change in college timings
Higher Education Minister R Bindu, while inaugurating the workshop, put forward a suggestion to change the college working hours to 8 am- 8 pm. The current timings shall continue for the classes, but the academic facilities like the library, laboratory, and conference halls should be open to students for extended hours. This can be implemented with out increasing the workload of the teachers, she said.
The teachers, on their part, demanded that clarity be made on their workload through an official order upon implementing the new curriculum.