NOTHING TO CHEER ABOUT: Some students of Chennai forego long holidays and begin next year's academic work early. — Photo: K. Pichumani

CHENNAI : While most city school students are counting the number of working days left for their summer vacation, students of Classes Nine and Eleven are busy solving problems from their next academic year's lessons.

Though some schools begin intensive coaching for the board examinations during the last few weeks of the current academic year, a few of them just introduce concepts. Since Mathematics is considered a little voluminous, most schools teach one or two select chapters.

Rama Narayaswamy, Class 10 Maths teacher in Padma Seshadri (Nungambakkam) feels it is not fair to tax a child unnecessarily and that a good foundation in Class Nine is very important.

"We usually cover just two chapters in Algebra and give a basic introduction to mensuration at the end of the year," she says.

"Even a playful child gets serious once he or she steps into Class 10. They are mature and take up assignments sincerely," she says adding " we start in full swing only in June and a hectic schedule follows. But we can complete portions comfortably."

However, students would be given some `holiday homework' to practice concepts during vacation. This year, teachers plan to make assignments available on the school website. Students would have to use their `USN ID' (Unique Student Number) and access it. "This would help students document their assignments," Ms. Narayanaswamy says. Subala Ananthanarayanan, Principal, Sri Sankara Senior Secondary School, Adyar, says a basic introduction of the Class 10 and 12 syllabi would be given to their students.

"However, we leave it to the teacher's discretion. They may have their own styles of handling children. So it is not mandatory for them to finish a portion of the following year's syllabus," she says. "Moreover, teachers would have invigilation duty. We don't tax them," she adds. Teachers feel lessons in subjects other than Mathematics can easily be completed before December. There would be ample time for revision, too. Interestingly, the school has introduced bridge courses for students who appeared for their Class 10 examination. "

The jump from Class 10 to 11 is big. We thought courses in Physics and Chemistry would give them a strong foundation in fundamentals," says Ms. Ananthanarayanan. Retired IIT professors would take this course for provisionally chosen students, who opt for the Science stream.

For Classes 10 and 12 students of Jaigopal Garodia Matriculation at Anna Nagar, the academic year would begin "slightly earlier". Says principal S.Muthukrishnan: "We begin around mid-May and start with practical experiments and portions that have to be memorised. It is like a preparatory course."

"If teachers plan their classes in a systematic manner, there will be enough time for completion and revision of portions. Parents should not pressurise the child unnecessarily during holidays. Holidays are meant to be enjoyed without any preoccupation," says B. Raghuveeran, Headmaster, P.S.Higher Secondary School.

A senior teacher has the final say: Coaching centres "capitalise" on this pressure and offer crash courses that can never substitute classroom teaching. "If concepts are taught with patience, children can handle any question," she adds.

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