Special Correspondent

Photo:R. Ashok 

Chitchat:K. Srikkanth, Chairman, BCCI selection committee, having a word with T. Mohana Kumar, left, Chief Educational Officer, at a conference organised by CII - Tiruchi zone in the city on Friday. K. Anbarasu, principal of National College is in the picture.

 TIRUCHI: Educationists and policy makers should take effective steps for introducing innovation in the current-day school educational curricula in the State, as the present system aims more at marks and academic merit than the most needed overall development of a student, speakers at a conference on ‘creative schools, developed nation - nextgen in schools' organised by Confederation of Indian Industry, Tiruchi, here on Friday. They said that, unlike in the past, students by utilising internet, were more exposed to the world of knowledge outside the classroom.

K. Srikkanth, chairman, BCCI Selection Committee, who was the chief guest, said that the innovation in educational scenario had become inevitable.

He said that even complicated laws and principles in science could be easily explained through a playway method by adopting the principles of sports, particularly cricket.

The attraction for cricket could be best utilised to explain the Newton's Laws, he said explaining the relation between ‘force'; ‘mass' and ‘acceleration' in physics, with its application in cricket.

He clarified that the innovation in educational system aimed more at honing the skills of students through value addition in curricula, without causing any dislocation to the present teaching methodology.

“Neither teachers, nor schools will be disturbed. Even the tuition system will be in vogue,” he said.

He appealed to the headmasters and teachers present on the occasion to imbibe a sense of confidence among students and promote their creativity. Teachers should play a constructive role in developing students' skills for their overall development, he said.

K. Anbarasu, Principal of National College and T. Mohana Kumar, Chief Educational Officer, spoke. They said that the objective of the conference was to sensitise educationists to the need for updating the teaching learning skills in tune with the fast changing development.

Dr. Anbarasu specifically referred to the need for the concept of technology-based classroom in the near future.

Later a session was held in which resource persons including M. A. Maluk Mohamed, convener, Educational Panel, CII Tiruchi zone; A. Senthil Kumaran, Principal Counsellor, CII-Institute of Quality; Chithra Ravi founder and CEO, EZ Vidya Private Limited; Archana Dange, Master Franchisee, Euro Kids – Tamil Nadu; Sundar Hariharan, regional head, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Pearson Educational Services Limited, spoke.

They emphasised the need for evolving quality-based education for pre-primary infants and proper utilisation of technology, games and language skills for the overall development of students.

They said that pre-primary and primary level education formed the foundation of a student's learning capability.