The more fast-paced our world is becoming, the more over-burdened and stressed our lives are becoming along with it. It is not just the case with modern adults but the students—especially the younger ones—have also succumbed to over-burden due to enormous courses and competitive assessments. However, that is not the case with Samacheer Kalvi.
Before Samacheer Kalvi: State being criticized
Before Samacheer kalvi was introduced, the State-provided board of education had long been criticized for its incompetency to prepare students for a better tomorrow. Not only that, but there were other issues as well such as division among urban and rural students created by different boards of education and schools. The DMK Government, in order to cope with these issues, introduced “Samacheer Kalvi” as a result.
Education for every student
Under Samacheer Kalvi, 9 crore books were printed, the syllabus was thoroughly thought upon and most of the prior issues in State-controlled board of education were addressed and resolved. One of the major advantage of Samacheer Kalvi was its unified method of education. No school or student was supposed to be given preferentiality based on anything but hard work and dedication.
Reduced stress for our children
One of the major advantage of Samacheer Kalvi syllabus and Samacheer Kalvi books was the reduced burden on students. Earlier, as we have discussed, other boards were in a race to position themselves based on the increased levels of home work they were allotting students every day. But this new board encouraged thought leadership process by assigning less paper work and more creative work.
What do the students say?
In a study, it was revealed that more than 70% of students enrolled in Samacheer Kalvi acclaimed Samacheer kalvi by agreeing to the fact that the board encouraged them to think more creatively. They also acclaimed the fact that they were now under less stress compared to before.
Same level of education for urban as well as rural students
Another fact that should be mentioned here is that Samacheer Kalvi books, ebooks and syllabus covers many schools in not only the urban areas of Tamil-Nadu but the rural areas as well. This means that a student studying in the city will get the same level of education as a student studying in a rural village. This fills the gap we normally witness in the education system due to the difference of areas, ethnicity and culture.
The shortcomings of Samacheer Kalvi
However, while the Samacheer Kalvi sure has its benefits, there have been some shortcomings as well. For example, some teachers have pointed out that there are errors in the books printed by the Government. These errors need to be addressed in order to make the Samacheer Kalvi syllabus more effective than before. “Samacheer Kalvi is not just a syllabus or board of education. It not only focuses on what the students are learning but also on how are they learning it” Quoted Rev. John Alexander SDB, Rector of Don Bosco School of Excellence. (source: The Hindu Times)
Our Verdict:
All in all, there sure are some improvements to be made and the Government seems to be investing resources to make high quality education accessible to every student in Tamil-Nadu. It will still take a while before the State-Provided board of education before the top priority for every parent and student in the state.