Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Concern over quality of teachers

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The poor quality of teachers was one of the key factors ailing the upper primary education sector in the State, James Varghese, Secretary, General Education, said here on Monday.

Mr. Varghese was addressing participants here in connection with a three-day ‘National Workshop on Strategies for Quality Improvement in Upper Primary Education’ organised by the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan. He termed the quality of teaching in the State “deplorable.”

Criticising the tendency among educators to take training programmes lightly, Mr. Varghese, however, said the existing training methodology was not sufficient to meet modern pedagogical requirements. “We need a constructivist methodology in teaching,” he told the gathering comprising participants from various parts of the country, including New Delhi, Punjab, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland and Orissa .

“It is imperative that students are provided with the right educational milieu for studies,” said Mr. Varghese referring to the importance of infrastructure facilities. “The support and facilities are all the more important when it comes to imparting education to children with special needs,” he added.

A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, Director, Public Instruction, called for standardising of teacher training programmes. “Our emphasis should not be on a quantitative increase in the number of students but on the quality of numbers,” he said.

Highlighting the plight of physically-challenged children, C.P. Narayanan, member, State Planning Board said there was a “visible discrimination” against such children in the State. “Most of our schools are yet to become disabled-friendly,” he said.

The Planning Board member also called for an overhaul of the existing curriculum in order to equip students for all kinds of jobs. “Our current curriculum and syllabus do justice to only those who want white collar jobs.” The educational system should become more inclusive instead of focussing solely on the brightest and the best, he said. The three-day event will conclude with a field trip to schools by the team.

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