Higher secondary school teachers’ organisations have come out in protest against the recommendations of the M.A. Khader committee set up to study school education reforms.
The panel’s second report, dealing with academic matters, was submitted to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently.
The Higher Secondary School Teachers’ Association, in a statement, alleged that some of the recommendations in the report were impractical. One cause for concern was the proposal for reducing the number of core subjects in higher secondary classes. Slashing the number of core subjects from four to three could not be accepted, the organisation said.
The core subjects studied by students were complementary, and taking away such subjects would impact the scale of education, not to mention disrupt students’ opportunities for higher education. For instance, removing mathematics or biology would affect students’ opportunities in entrance examinations.
The report recommended that the number of students in a higher secondary be limited to 45 and that the afternoon school hours be devoted to activities such as sports, and arts and culture. However, no specialist teachers were being appointed in schools, nor was there any clarity yet how the class size could be limited.
The Kerala Higher Secondary Teachers’ Union said they could not agree with only process-based study could lead to students becoming knowledge creators. Teacher presentation or self-study by a child were also important to the education process. A social constructivism-approach alone could not be accepted; an eclectic approach was what was needed.
The recommendation that teachers’ organisations must represent a certain percentage of teachers was undemocratic. Each organisation could have their own stance and opinion, and these were not dependent on their size. Some teachers’ organisations reflected a certain group such as primary or vocational teachers. Moreover, there were organisations that were independent of political affiliations, and all of these needed to be heard and included.
A panel member, however, clarified that students were taken into confidence while preparing the report and their interests were a priority. The study of so many core subjects was putting students under a lot of stress.
