Curricula News - India Together

OP-ED: PREPARING GEN-NEXT
Why ‘skilling’ India must focus on schooling

The thrust on vocational skills and values among the youth has more often looked at solutions based on extraneous skill-development modules. E S Ramamurthy explains why a more skilled future workforce must entail fundamental reforms in schooling.

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GAPS IN EDUCATION

The real and present threat to our future

India is at a turning point and needs a holistic education system to meet the requirements and expectations of various existing and emerging sectors. Unless there is a revamp, our youngsters have a bleak future, says Ramesh Menon

Labour Issues Education

LANGUAGE

The question of English

A meaningful and enduring bilingualism, embracing both English and the mother tongue, remains out of reach of the vast majority of citizens, writes Ramachandra Guha.

OP-ED Ramachandra Guha Caste A historian's view

SAMACHEER KALVI

Uniform, but unworkable

The desire for quality education for all children is noble and surely one shared by all. But Tamilnadu's Samacheer Kalvi makes that more difficult, writes Parth Shah.

Education Tamil Nadu

EDUCATION

Alternative advantage, shackled by regulation

A number of NGO-run schools in Tamilnadu are making a clear difference in helping underprivileged chilren get a better shot at the real world, in comparison to state-run schools. Still, the schools themselves need help, finds Krithika Ramalingam.

Education Tamil Nadu

PROPAGATING TOLERANCE OR ATHEISM?

School textbook issue spirals into political row

The new class VII social science textbook in Kerala has become the cause of clashes. Groups agitating against the book allege its content is anti-religion, while the state curriculum board says it propagates religious tolerance. P N Venugopal reports on the controversy.

Education Kerala

EDUCATION AND POLITICS

Gujarat's textbooks: Full of biases and errors

An ongoing study of school textbooks in four states has found stereotypes and biases in Gujarat's textbooks. The Social Studies textbook for standard five has nine stories on mythology masquerading as history. Deepa A reports.

Education GUJARAT

MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION

Goa wrestles with language in schools

The abrupt transition from Konkani and Marathi in primary schools to English in Standard V puts tremendous pressure on children from rural communities in Goa. By the time these learners reach the crucial higher grades, nearly half of them drop out of school. Rupa Chinai reports.

Education Law and Policy Education

INNOVATION IN THE CLASSROOM

Are new teaching methods working?

Efforts to make learning more interactive and more fun for students appear promising, but it may be too soon to judge if they are positively impacting children's performance in standard tests and surveys. Meanwhile, teachers complain that these efforts have added to their already heavy burden. Padmalatha Ravi reports.

Literacy Education KARNATAKA

LENS ON EDUCATION

Not by mainstream schools alone

Do alternative schools work? After all, every child has to ultimately face a society that puts a premium on competitiveness and commodification. Or are alternatives only an option for children of parents from a certain class of society? Deepa A finds out.

Education

EDUCATION

Textbooks for change

A number of new NCERT textbooks for class I to class XII have been designed to encourage children to question social prejudices, discrimination and inequalities. This is a conscious reversal of the earlier trend where textbooks reinforced prevailing stereotypes, notes Deepti Priya Mehrotra.

Girls' Education Children Education

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Girls without power

Despite islands of progress and even a paradoxical government-run success, the larger picture of girls' education and their empowerment is dismal. There is an enormous gap between fact and paper fiction, and the task for feminists and activists is cut out, says Deepti Priya Mehrotra on the International Women's Day.

Girls' Education Children Women Guest Opinions

TAKING STOCK OF A TABOO

Sex education still off the charts

Students must feel comfortable seeking counselling on sex-related issues. Each of their questions, no matter how private, needs to be answered. Experts argue that openness in conversation would decrease frustrations and aggressions linked to sexuality amongst youth, says Parul Sharma.

Education Law and Policy AIDS Education