The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Students must evaluate teachers, says Baby

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 11, 2007
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Students must evaluate teachers, says Baby

Staff Reporter

Training for university teachers begins

M.A. Baby

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Education Minister M.A. Baby has said the education system can be democratised only if the students and teachers are given opportunities to evaluate mutually.

The present system only permits evaluation of students by teachers and this can lead to academic stagnation apart from several other problems.

There must be drastic changes in the evaluation methods in the education system, and the students must be given opportunities to assess the skills and competence of their teachers also, at least in the higher education centres, the Minister said.

Mr. Baby made these observations while inaugurating the orientation programme for newly-recruited university and college teachers at the Academic Staff College of the Kerala University at Karyavattom near here on Saturday.

Emphasising the role of teachers in education, the Minister said though monetary benefits could be higher in other professions, teaching profession had its nobility. Many great thinkers like Amartya Sen and Noam Chomsky perceived themselves to be primarily teachers and never compromised on teaching hours.

Kerala University Vice-Chancellor M.K. Ramachandran Nair, in his presidential address, said drastic changes would be introduced in all the universities of the State from the next academic year and the teachers must be mentally prepared to adapt to those changes.

Academic Staff College Director Jacob John Kattakkayam welcomed the gathering.

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