Role of State Council of Educational Research & Training

State Planning Commission 1

Workshop Series: 15/EE/2014

Role of State Council of EducationalResearch & Training (SCERT) on

Educational Reforms in Tamil Nadu

State Planning Commission

16.04.2014

2 State Planning Commission

Tamil Nadu State Planning CommissionThe State Planning Commission was constituted in Tamil Nadu on 25th May 1971

under the Chairmanship of the Hon’ble Chief Minister as an Advisory body to makerecommendations to the Government on various matters pertaining to the developmentof the State. The Chairman of the Commission is assisted by a team of Members, Consistingof Vice Chairman, Full Time Member & Part Time Members who are experts in variousfields. The Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Planning, Development and SpecialInitiatives and the Principal Secretary to Government, Finance Department are the ex-officio members. The Member Secretary is responsible for administration in theCommission.The Commission has the following technical divisions:1. Agricultural Policy and Planning2. Industries, Power and Transport3. Land Use4. Education and Employment5. Health and Social Welfare6. District Planning and Rural Development7. Plan Co-ordination.Main activities of SPC:The Major Functions of the State Planning Commission are as follows:1. Preparation of Five Year and Annual Plans based on the policies and priorities of the

Government;2. Undertake Mid Term review of the Five Year Plan, other special reviews on the Economy

and advise the Government on appropriate modification and restructuring of theschemes;

3. Monitor development indicators that influence the Human Development Index, GenderDevelopment Index, etc., at a disaggregated level and suggest correctional measures;

4. Undertake special studies as required for formulation and implementation of planprojects and programmes;

5. Tamil Nadu State Land Use Research Board (TNSLURB) is functioning under thechairmanship of Vice Chairman, State Planning Commission as a permanent bodyin the State Planning Commission. This Board is intended to promote interactionand study in the vital areas of land use. The State Planning Commission organizesseminars/workshops and undertakes studies.

6. Human Development Reports (HDRs) were prepared for Dindigul, Sivagangai,Tiruvannamalai, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, the Nilgiris, Kanyakumari andDharmapuri districts. The concept of Human Development has been disseminatedto all districts through workshops organized in the concerned districts. Proposal forpreparation of District Human Development Reports (DHDR) for the remaining districtsis under process.

7. State Balanced Growth Fund (SBGF) is operated to bridge the regional imbalancesamong the districts.


CONTENTS

Details Page No.

Workshop Team 4

Workshop Sessions 5

Executive Summary 7

Introduction 11

Session I - “Role of SCERT on Educational Reforms in Tamil Nadu” 21 by School Education Department, Chennai - 9.

Session II - “Role of SCERT on Educational Reforms in 48 Tamil Nadu with special reference to DIETs” by SCERT, Chennai - 6.

Recommendations 53

List of Participants 57


State Planning Commission

Tmt. Santha Sheela Nair, I.A.S., (Retd.)Vice-Chairperson.

Dr. Sugato Dutt, I.F.S.,Member-Secretary (i/c).

Thiru K. Kumaresan,Head of Division,Education and Employment Division.

Thiru A. Ramaiah,Planning Officer,Education and Employment Division.

Thiru S. Boopathy Mohan,System Analyst.

Thiru M. Paramasivan,Librarian

Dr. S. S. Ravichander,Technical Assistant,Education and Employment Division.

Thiru K. Ayyachami,Planning Assistant,Education and Employment Division.

Tmt. K.V. Dharmasamvardhini,Private Secretary,Education and Employment Division.

WORKSHOP TEAM

Departments

Tmt. D. Sabitha, I.A.S.,Principal Secretary to Government,School Education Department,Chennai – 9.

Dr. S. Kannappan,Director,State Council of Educational Research& Training (SCERT), Chennai – 6.


WORKSHOP SESSIONS

Welcome Address Dr. Sugato Dutt, I.F.S.,Member-Secretary (i/c),State Planning Commission,Chennai – 600 005.

Presidential Address Tmt. Shantha Sheela Nair, I.A.S.,(Retd.)Vice-Chairperson,State Planning Commission,Chennai – 600 005.

Session I - “Role of SCERT on Tmt. D. Sabitha, I.A.S.,Educational Reforms in Tamil Nadu”. Principal Secretary to Government,by School Education Department School Education Department,Chennai – 9.

Session II - “Role of SCERT on Dr. S. Kannappan,Educational Reforms in Tamil Nadu Director,with special reference to DIETs” State Council of Educational Research &by SCERT, Chennai - 6. Training (SCERT),

Chennai – 6.



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The State Government evolves

polices from time to time to allow

professional development to play an

effective part in educational reforms. The

policies support the need to create new

structures and institutional arrangements

that support the role of teachers as lifelong

learners. To realise this, the State

Government has already upgraded the

Directorate of Teacher Education, Research

and Training (DTE&RT) in to State Council

of Educational Research and Training

(SCERT) on 26.03.12 in compliance with

Government’s visionary and insightful

decision to expand the capacity building

of teachers, research and development to

enhance quality in School Education.

There has been a paradigm shift in

evaluation education system in Tamil

Nadu. It is one of the Government’s

landmark decision to implement

Continuous and Comprehensive

Evaluation (CCE) from 2012-13 for classes

I to VIII and for IX in 2013-14. The

Government has accelerated the process

of reform in reducing the load of learning

and comprehension by introducing the

trimester system. The small sized books

combined into just two volumes have

enthralled school children more than ever

before.

SCERT proposes to expand its

research activities and conduct state level

research studies, surveys and studies to

facilitate the state to take decisions which

would influence the quality of learning in

the years to come. A revised structure with

Division of Curriculum Studies, Division

of Teacher Education and Foundation, ICT

Division, Division of Special Needs, Division

of Library and Documentation is envisaged.

SCERT will carry out research work on par

with the National Council of Educational

Research and Training (NCERT).

Under the administrative control of

SCERT, there are 30 District Institutes of

Education and Training (DIETs), 9

Government Teacher Training Institutes

with 722 members of teaching faculty and

508 non-teaching staff. SCERT effectively

monitors and supervises 42 Aided, and 544

Self-Financing Teacher Training Institutes.

In all, there are 625 Institutes offering two

year Diploma in Elementary Education

Programme with annual intake capacity of

43,000 students.

The Visions of the SCERT

To conceptualize, plan and ensure delivery

of quality education to all children from

Pre-school to XII std through framing of

State-relevant curriculum, syllabus design,

textbook preparation, learning assessment

with learner- friendliness and professional

development of teachers through pre-

service and in-service programmes,

research and innovation, dissemination

and exchange programmes.


The objectives of SCERT

To carryout evaluation of the

programmes conducted in the State and

make recommendations on policy

interventions to be taken by the State with

the aim to place Tamil Nadu as numero

one State in the country.

District Institute of Education and

Training (DIET) in Tamil Nadu

The vision of the DIET is carrying

way forward that the Empowering

Teachers through Excellence in Training.

The mission statements speaks about

exemplary Pre-Service Teacher Education,

Comprehensive Quality In-Service

Education, Integration of ICT in training

and Class room processes, Promoting

Work ethics through work experience,

Development of need- based curricular

materials, Data based Planning for

Institutional Development and teacher

quality, Research and Action Research,

Extension Activities.

The major objectives

To reach out to neo-literates through

alternative literacy strategies and to

conduct researches for reflective practice,

programme evaluation and policy decision

at state level.

With the above Vision, Mission and

objectives of the SCERT and DIETs, the

State Planning Commission has conducted

a seminar/workshop on “The Role of

SCERT in Educational reforms in Tamil

Nadu” on 16.04.2014 under the

Chairmanship of the Vice Chairman SPC.





polices from time to time to allow

professional development to play an

effective part in educational reforms. The

policies support the need to create new

structures and institutional arrangements

that support the role of teachers as lifelong

learners. To realise this, the State

Government has already upgraded the

Directorate of Teacher Education, Research

and Training (DTE&RT) in to State Council


(SCERT) on 26.03.12 in compliance with

Government’s visionary and insightful

decision to expand the capacity building

of teachers, research and development to

enhance quality in School Education.

There has been a paradigm shift in

evaluation education system in Tamil

Nadu. It is one of the Government’s

landmark decision to implement

Continuous and Comprehensive

Evaluation (CCE) from 2012-13 for classes

I to VIII and for IX in 2013-14. The

Government has accelerated the process

of reform in reducing the load of learning

and comprehension by introducing the

trimester system. The small sized books

combined into just two volumes have

enthralled school children more than ever

before.

The State Council of Educational

Research and Training is headed by a

Director, 4 Joint Directors, 1 Deputy

Director, 21 Assistant Professors and 47

Ministerial staff. SCERT proposes to

expand its research activities and conduct

state level research studies, surveys and

studies to facilitate the state to take

decisions which would influence the quality

of learning in the years to come. A revised

structure with Division of Curriculum

Studies, Division of Teacher Education and

Foundation, ICT Division, Division of

Special Needs, Division of Library and

Documentation is envisaged. SCERT will

carry out research work on par with the

National Council of Educational Research

and Training (NCERT).

Under the administrative control of

SCERT, there are 30 District Institutes of

Education and Training (DIETs), 9

Government Teacher Training Institutes

with 722 members of teaching faculty and

508 non-teaching staff. SCERT effectively

monitors and supervises 42 Aided, and 544

Self-Financing Teacher Training Institutes.

In all, there are 625 Institutes offering twoyear Diploma in Elementary EducationProgramme with annual intake capacity of43,000 students.

Vision

The important visions are

� To facilitate quality learning amongchildren from pre-school to XIIStandard through planning

� Creating Tamil Nadu CurriculumFramework, child-centric teaching,

INTRODUCTION


syllabus and text book, child-friendly continuous andcomprehensive evaluation,

� Quality teacher preparation throughmeticulously developed pre and in-service training programmes

� Practice-based researches,innovation, sharing of best practices

� Exchange of experiences throughnational conferences and seminars

� Research and Analysis forupgrading and enhancing thequality of education is Tamil Nadu.

Objectives

The major broad objectives are

1. To facilitate the Directorate of

Elementary Education, Directorate ofSchool Education, SSA and RMSA tomake every school a resourcefullearning organization where every childis welcome and his / her learning needsand emotional needs are met.

2. To design child-centric curriculum,syllabus for Standard I to XII, reframeTeacher Education curriculum,syllabus and existing teaching patternin response to the welcome changes inthe system.

3. To sensitize all the Educational Officerson the rights of children to free andcompulsory education (RTE) and givethem the required technical and

resource support to implement them.

4. To herald qualitative changes anddevelopment at all levels of educationreflecting the ideals of the StateGovernment.

5. To provide academic monitoringsupport services, professional supportin terms of academic research andextension services to all thestakeholders in the field of education.

6. To help all the Directorates of educationto implement the developmentalpolicies and welfare measures of theState Government to nurture theholistic development of the personalityof children.

7. To facilitate school heads to becomeinstructional supervisors and ensurequality learning at all levels ofschooling.

8. To help schools guaranteeUniversalization of Elementary andSecondary Education to all studentswho join Government and Aidedschools.

9. To provide quality training to teachersto ensure equity and social justice ofchildren from all walks of life.

10. To build the capacity of DIETs tofunction as District Resource Centresand extended training centres and

research organizations of SCERT.

11. To provide resource support to SSA and

RMSA in designing training programme


and providing training to District level

trainers and teacher educators.

12. To forge linkages with institutions ofHigher education, to promotecurricular changes in TeacherEducation based on Nationalcurriculum Frame Work of TeacherEducation, 2009.

13. To revise Teacher Education sourcebooks at the elementary levelincorporating the latest state guidedreform in evaluation (i.e.,) Continuousand Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE).

14. To enhance the rapport with NationalResearch Academic Organizations suchas NCERT, Regional Institute ofEducation (RIE), National University forEducation Planning andAdministration (NUEPA), Ekalaivya(Madhya Pradesh), Tata Institute ofSocial Science, Mumbai, HomibabaInstitute of Science, Mumbai, andRamanujam Institute of Mathematics,Chennai and use the expertise gainedin updating the professionalism ofSCERT faculty, DIET faculty andpractising teachers at large.

15. To scout the outstanding class roomprocesses and disseminate the bestpractices among all the teachers.

16. To assist teachers, through DIET, BRCs

and CRCs in undertaking action

researches and find unconventional

solutions to classroom issues.

17. To evolve ICT based training data

management to record individualteacher profiles and provide need basedacademic support to influence lastingchanges in knowledge, skills andattitudes.

18. To serve as a disseminating centre of

Educational Research and Innovations.

Constitution of the Expert Committee

The Government has announcedthat the existing educational system wouldbe revamped. Subsequently, theGovernment have constituted a 9 memberExpert Committee under the Chairmanshipof the Minister for School Education anddeliberated the measures to improve theexisting school education. As an importantmeasure, the Expert Committeeconstituted 3 sub committees.

1. Tamil Nadu School Curriculum

Framework Committee

2. Syllabus Revision Committee for Higher

Secondary Course

3. Examination Reforms Committee

Educational Reforms and TrainingActivities of SCERT

I n C o m p l i a n c e w i t h t h eGovernment’s announcement in the StateLegislative Assembly in a bid to reduce theload of books and eradicate stress, theGovernment of Tamil Nadu has decided totake forward the following educationalreforms.


Trimester Pattern

In order to reach the State’s goal ofquality education, SCERT has taken upmany initiatives including the introductionof Trimester System. Through thisinnovative system, the Government’s visionof reducing the load of books and burdenof learning has been accomplished. In2012-13, the text books of Standard I toVIII have been divided into three parts andlanguage books have been clubbed togetherin one volume and core subjectsMathematics, Science and Social Science(Environmental Science for standard I andII) have been combined into a volume. It isproposed to divide IX standard books fortrimester in 2013-14.

Continuous and ComprehensiveEvaluation

The State Government is committedto the cause of providing quality educationassurance in School Education. Toenhance the skills of teachers in CCE, theState Council of Educational Researchdesigns training programme for teachershandling classes I to IX. 1,14,402 primaryteachers and 82,492 Middle School, HighSchool and Higher Secondary teachershandling VI to VIII classes have alreadybeen trained in the process of implementingCCE.

Enhancing the Quality of Textbooks

The SCERT is entrusted with theresponsibility of enhancing the quality ofthe existing textbooks. A series of

workshops were organized to identifyspelling errors, mistakes in sentenceconstruction and conceptual errors. Agroup of eminent teachers and experts ofrespective subjects were involved in thisprocess. At the end, the enriched term-wisetext books have been revised.

Inclusion of Casteless Society and CyberSafety in Text books

Government has announced that achapter will be added on Casteless societyand another on the cyber safety in the textbooks. SCERT has developed the materialfor the same and it will be incorporated inthe text books in the academic year 2013-14.

Right of Children to Free andCompulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTEAct) & Rules, 2011 related training

In 2012-13, SCERT organizedawareness training on Right of Children toFree and Compulsory Education Act, 2009and Tamil Nadu Right of Children to Freeand Compulsory Education Rules, 2011 forall the stake holders. 1,92,958,Headmasters, Teachers, PTA members,District Level and Block Level EducationOfficers have been provided this training.This training has empowered the officersto prevent violation of children’s right toeducation. 60 Police Officials and 64 BRCSupervisors have also been imparted RTEtraining to deal effectively with complaintsor cases against violation of the Right toEducation. SCERT developed a trainingmanual incorporating “Right of children toFree and Compulsory Education Act, 2009”and Tamil Nadu Rules, 2011.


Training on the Prevention of Child

Abuse

The Government is deeply

concerned with the safety and protection

of children. In a historic move in the

direction of protecting the rights of

children, and preventing sexual abuse or

harassment of young children, the State

Government have ordered to punish erring

teachers to the extent of compulsory

retirement, removal or dismissal from

service including cancellation of their

educational certificates. The administrative

officers of the Districts viz 32 CEOs, 15 IMS

and 32 selected DEEOs and DEOs were

given training to effectively implement the

order keeping in mind the safety and

security of the children.

Induction Training to Newly Recruited

AEEOs

The State Government is keen in

supervising the implementation all the

student welfare measures in Government

and Government Aided schools. In this

context, it becomes mandatory to sensitize

the newly recruited AEEOs in all the

Government schemes, evaluation and

monitoring mechanisms. Hence, SCERT

organized an Induction Training to the 34

newly recruited AEEOs. This will definitely

bring about a change in the quality of the

work carried out by the block level officers.

Capacity Building TrainingProgrammes

Generating Awareness on Environmentamong Upper Primary and Primary ClassTeachers

In a collaborative venture with SarvaShiksha Abhiyan, SCERT organized anenvironmental awareness trainingprogramme. Ninety teachers from 30Districts underwent the Key ResourcePersons Training. This training wouldenable all the upper primary students tounderstand the Environmental issues andenable them to take well informed decisionsin future. The training was extendedto1,40,000 Primary School Teachersthrough CRCs.

Training on Inclusive Education toKey Resource Persons

The Government has instructed the

State Education Department to provideinclusive education and take all measures

to address the learning needs of childrenespecially with special Education needs.

Besides, Hon’ble Chief Minister has alsorecommended special attention to be given

to children with learning disabilities.Special focus has been given to autism,

mental retardation and other learning

disabilities such as dyslexia and

dyscalculia. 31 Special Educators, 30

BRTEs and 30 DIET faculty members had

undergone this training. The expert

support will be continuously provided to

teachers through special teachers to


sustain the elementary schools. SSA shall

continue to give assistive devices to

differently abled students. Teachers shall

also be given training round the year to

ensure equal learning opportunities to all

the differently abled children.

Simplified Activity Based Learning

(SABL)

After a series of interactive

workshops involving various stake holders

like DIET personnel, BRC personnel,

practicing teachers and SCERT personnel

the number of ABL Cards and large number

of complex logos were reduced to minimum

to ensure that children do not feel the

burden of learning. The most advantageous

change in the revised cards is that they

retain a scope for incorporation of higher

order thinking skills and developing a flair

for experiential learning through mini

projects, paired projects and group

projects. As there is a harmonious

integration of SABL with CCE, there are

immense possibilities for fostering the

reading and listening skills of students at

the primary level. State level Key Resource

Person’s training on SABL was organized

by SCERT and 256 BRTEs and DIET

personnel participated in it. The district

level training benefitted 1,45,000 primary

teachers.

Training on Science Practical forElementary Teachers

Sweeping changes take place in the

teaching learning processes across the

globe. Science teaching cannot be done

with conventional “Chalk and Talk”

methods anymore. Children by nature are

inquisitive and hence hands on learning

will only promote scientific thinking,

analytical thinking and scientific attitude.

To facilitate Upper primary teachers in the

use of Simple Science Practical, training

was organized in collaboration with Sarva

Shiksha Abhiyan, 123 persons participated

in this interactive training programme. This

practically useful training was carried

forward to 1,45,000 teachers at the

elementary level.

Training on Art Education and Work

Experience

The value of Art Education and

Work Experience was realized by experts

of basic education even before

independence. The neglected work

experience and Art Education are gaining

importance in recent times across the State

as Continuous and Comprehensive

Evaluation is being effectively implemented

in classrooms at the elementary level.

SCERT organized a state level training for

key resource persons on art education and

work experience in which 128 persons

participated. This has been successfully

taken forward to 4000 teachers all over the


State. It is believed that this would nurture

the creative capabilities of young learners.

Training for Primary and Upper Primary

School Heads

The performance of a School

depends very much on the leadership skills

of the school head. Seniors are promoted

to Head Master post by sheer virtue of

seniority. They are forced to learn the work

on the job. They don‘t have direct access

to Human Resource Management courses

and strategies to enhance their

administrative skills. Hence, SCERT, in

collaboration with Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan,

designed a 10 days residential training for

primary and upper primary school heads.

The key resource persons training was

conducted in an interactive mode spiced

up with case studies of Primary, Middle,

High and Higher Secondary Schools. The

outstanding practices of schools which had

good practices were shared. Sessions on

instructional supervision, mobilizing local

resources and garnering parental support

and School based planning and

management were also discussed. This

training will empower 45,000 school heads

with the requisite management skills.

Residential Training for Head Teachers

of Primary and Upper Primary Schools.

SCERT organized a two day

residential programme for 123 Key

Resource Persons representing DIETs,

BRCs and AEEOs. The training was

interactive in nature and case studies of

successful Head teachers from Primary,

Middle, High and Higher Secondary

Schools were discussed. Most of the

participants shared the outstanding

strategies which enabled them to produce

good learning achievement among learners.

The participants were sensitized on the

strategies of internal supervision. More

than 3000 BRTEs and DIET faculty were

trained.

Other Activities and Research

Integration of ICT in School Education

and Teacher Education

Children of today must be ICT

literates if they are to live productive lives

and participate effectively in the work place.

To make children tech-sauvy, it is

imperative to train teachers in ICT. Hence,

the main responsibility of SCERT will be

to integrate ICT in the classroom processes.

The digital content to be developed by

SCERT, in collaboration with tech wizards

in the field, will be hosted in SCERT and

School Education websites for children to

have a free access.

Life Skill Education Programme

Adolescent Children studying in

High and Higher Secondary Schools are


subjected to tremendous peer pressure.

Besides, the impact of mass media exposes

them to many ideas. Hence, they need to

develop life skills to protect themselves.

They need to develop their life skills in such

a way as to become strong enough say ‘no’

to unacceptable behaviours from peers and

adults. Hence SCERT, in collaboration with

Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society,

organizes life skill Education programme.

SCERT has meticulously screened the

material for explicit content and designed

the training manual. The CCE introduced

by the Government has an inbuilt life skill

component giving an opportunity to the

young children in the schools to attain

valuable life skills from an early age.

Diabetes Training Programme

Realizing the State Government’s

deep-seated concern for the health and

hygiene of young learners, SCERT

organized training on Diabetes in

collaboration with Indian Diabetic

Research Foundation. The main objective

of the programme is to create awareness

on Diabetes and promote healthy life style

practices among children at the Secondary

level. The programme was piloted in two

districts viz Chennai and Thiruvallur. In

all, 500 High School Science Teachers from

Chennai City (urban) and 450 Science

Graduate teachers from High Schools of

Thiruvallur districts were given this

training. Each trained teacher is expected

to bring welcome changes in the life style

of 95,000 students in Chennai and

Thiruvallur districts and the ripple effect

of this venture can be accessed through

impact study.

Modified School Health Programme

The Modified School Health

Programme aims at curbing health

problems of young students through

preventive measures and including health

behaviours. The Key Resource Training of

594 persons including faculty from DIETs,

BRTEs and members from the Health

Department was conducted in 6 Regional

Centers of Health Department in Chennai,

Madurai, Pudukottai, Villupuram, Salem,

Thiruvallur in collaboration with SCERT.

It was further imparted to 28,503 teachers

at the District level. This would invariably

help all the students.

Education Television Studio

With the objective of telecasting

quality teaching learning programmes

SCERT and SSA jointly select the teachers

who have adopted best teaching learning

activities. A rehearsal at the State level and

the recording 5 lessons each for

Mathematics, Science and Social science,

have been undertaken. Totally 15

programmes have been recorded. The

selection of content, rehearsal and


recording are done by the faculty members

of DIETs, BRTEs and Teachers. The

students can learn better by getting

experiential learning through this telecast.

Best School Selection

A novel practice of selecting one best

school in each and every month from each

and every district of Tamil Nadu has been

launched by SCERT. The details of selected

schools with its salient features are being

published in the ‘Parent Teacher

Association Magazine’ in order to motivate

other schools in improving their quality.

The faculty of DIETs and block level officials

visit the schools of the selected block and

grade according to the identified

parameters.

National Service Scheme

SCERT and the Directorate of

Collegiate Education jointly organize 34

National Service Scheme (NSSs) units in

DIETs and Government TTIs in all districts.

In 2012-13, special camps were organized

in 34 adopted villages in the 3rd week of

January. Besides, other planned activities

are organized throughout the year. Totally,

1700 Student Volunteers and 34 Project

Officers are involved in the national service

scheme activities.

National Population Education

The National Population Education

Project (NPEP) is the programme

implemented by the Ministry of Human

Resource Development, Government of

India through NCERT. The State Council


(SCERT), Chennai has been implementing

the programme in Tamil Nadu. As Co-

curricular Activities, Poster Competition,

Role Play Competition and Folk Dance

Competition are conducted for the students

studying in Government High and Higher

Secondary Schools. The Poster Competition

is conducted on the themes related to

Population Education, Adolescence

Education, Adolescent Reproductive and

Sexual Health (ARSH), Gender Equity and

Empowerment of Women, the Family and

the socio-economic factors for the students

of IX to XII studying in Government High

and Higher Secondary Schools.

Research

SCERT has a serious responsibility

of carrying out educational researches. It

involves in measuring outcomes on the

initiatives of the state, interpreting the

results, reporting and giving a rationale for

making relevant changes in the State’s

educational policies. All the stake holders

of education need to be supporters and


consumers of educational research

because only the SCERT can make

teachers more reflective professionals,

administrators more effective and also

establish benchmarks of standards for the

State. SCERT shall train teachers to carry

out practice-based researches which would

make them reflective practitioners.

Research articles will be invited and

presented in the conferences and the

National Seminars organized by SCERT.

Utilizing the MHRD funds, teachers will be

trained in the methods of Action Research

and Collaborative Action Researches will

be carried out in lab schools. The findings

of District level researches will be shared

in the District level seminars organized at

DIET in every district.

The services of the SCERT in

capacity building of teachers, quality

enhancement of students and schools will

go a long way in improving the standards

of education in Tamil Nadu.


The Principal Secretary toGovernment, School EducationDepartment explained that the Tamil

Nadu Vision 2023 document envisages

Tamil Nadu as the singular state leading

on all the economic and social indicators

in the country. Tamil Nadu will be India’s

leading state in social development and will

have the highest Human Development

Index (HDI) amongst all Indian states.

Tamil Nadu will provide the best

infrastructure services in India in terms of

universal access to Housing, Water &

Sanitation, Energy, Transportation,

Irrigation, Connectivity, Healthcare, and

Education.

Tamil Nadu State’s Priority in Financing

School Education are In order to achieve

the vision 2023 of Tamil Nadu, a record

budget provision of Rs.14,552.82 crore was

made in 2012-13. A sum of Rs.16,965.30

crore in the budget of 2013-2014 towards

School Education, which is 16.57% higher

than the budget of the year 2012-2013. The

trend has been continued and the School

Education Department has been given the

highest allocation in the State Budget for

2014-15 also by providing an amount of

Rs.17731.71 crores.The allocation for

(Rs.Crore) DSE-8056.72, TRB-2.11, DMS-

4.37, SED-5.17, DNFAE-7.33, DPL-63.16,

SCERT-65.21.DEGE-76.30, RMSA-366.57,

SSA- 700.00, DEE-7618.36. The total

allocation for 2014-15 is Rs. 17731.71

Crores.

State Council of Educational Researchand Training (SCERT)


policies/schemes from time to time to bring

about educational reforms so as to place

Tamil Nadu in the Number one position in

the country. As a first step, to achieve the

various educational reforms envisaged by

the Government, the DTERT was upgraded

into “State Council of Educational Research

and Training” by the Hon’ble Chief Minister

in the financial year 2011-12. SCERT

Visions are to conceptualize, plan and

ensure delivery of quality education to all

children from Pre-school to XII std through

framing of State-relevant curriculum,

syllabus design, textbook preparation,

learning assessment with learner-

friendliness and professional development

of teachers through pre-service and in-

service programmes, research and

innovation, dissemination and exchange

programmes.

SCERT - Objectives

The specific objectives of the SCERT

1. To promote Educational Research and

offering training in educational

research methodology.

2. To develop training manuals for all

teacher development programmes

organized by SCERT, SSA, DEE, RMSA

& DSE.

SESSION - I


3. To design curriculum and syllabus for

elementary, secondary and higher

secondary level based on the

recommendations of NCFs.

4. To develop the model textbooks based

on the approved syllabus.

5. To introduce a new paradigm shift for

schooling by supporting child centric

education with an attempt to link it

with life outside school.

6. To impart training of teachers at

elementary, secondary and higher

secondary levels.

7. To implement and monitor various

training programmes at State, District

and Block levels.

8. To network with State Education

Department, Universities and non-

governmental organizations to

introduce new ideas in to education

network.

9. To promote early childhood education,

research based interventions and

institutional planning .

10. To conduct the State Talent Search

Schemes to identify, support and

nurture talented students.

11. To focus on vocational education with

linkages to prominent industry/

industrial hubs.

12. To ensure successful implemen tation

of the various initiatives taken by the

Government in relation to improvement

and enhancement of elementary,

secondary and higher secondary

education.

13. To design specific strategies for

inclusive education to address issues

of children with special needs,

employability of such children and

graduates.

14. To interact with National and

International organizations such as

NCERT, UNICEF, Departments of

Government of India and various State

Governments to address the quality

issues pertaining to education.

15. To carryout evaluation of the

programmes conducted in the State

and make recommendations on policy

interventions to be taken by the State

with the aim to place Tamil Nadu as

numero one State in the country.

Institutional Structure of theSCERT

The state level SCERT, at district level

District Institute of Education and Training

(DIET), Govt. Teacher Training Institute

(GTTI) 1. Aided TTIs (Minority & Non

Minority) 2. Self Financing TTIs.

Pre-Service Teacher Educational Institutions.


Need for Introducing Educational

Reforms

The educational reforms is necessary

according to the development of the a

nation. The Scenario at 2010 – 2011 shows

the poor status of education level. In order

to understand the status of school

education analysis of the following

indicators were made1.Gross Enrollment

Rate (GER) 2.Net Enrollment Rate (NER)

3.Completion Rate (CR) 4.Repetition Rate

(RR) 4.Dropout Rate (DR) 5.Transition Rate

(TR) 6.Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) 7.Learning

outcomes 8.GER & NER of Primary

Level9.The enrolment of children in

Primary schools was at 99.60% for the year

2010-11. Out of which girls enrolment

increased marginally when compared with

boys enrolment both in GER and NER.

Table - 1

Type of Institute Number No. of Students No. of StudentsEnrolled in 2012-13 Enrolled in 2013-14

DIETs 29 1347 2000

Government TTIs 9 159 245

Aided TTIs 42 925 1279

Self-financing TTIs 458 5902 5960

Total 539 8333 9484

Table - 2

Enrolment of children in Primary schools for the year 2010-11

Indicators 2010-11 Boys Girls Total

GER 100.75 100.99 100.87

NER 99.57 99.63 99.60

GER & NER of Upper Primary Level - The enrolment of children in Upper Primary

schools was at 98.84% for the year 2010-11. Out of which girls enrolment increased

marginally when compared with boys enrolment.


Table - 3

Indicators 2010-11 Boys Girls Total

GER 101.91 102.05 101.98

NER 98.79 98.89 98.84

Graph-1Focus Areas - Enrolment

Graph-2


Table – 4

Year Primary Upper Primary

Completion Repetition Dropout Completion Repetition DropoutRate Rate Rate Rate Rate Rate

2010-11 97.36 1.64 1.00 93.35 4.86 1.79

PTR for Primary and Upper PrimaryLevel

The PTR for the year 2010-11 Primary andUpper Primary Levels are given below. The

PTR for the year 2010-11 Primary andUpper Primary Levels are 1:28.18 and1:35.20 as against RTE norms of 1.30 and1.35 respectively.

GER & NER of Secondary Level

The enrolment of children at secondaryschools was 66.71% for the year 2010-11.The GER& NER boys is higher than theGirls.Droput rate is high in Girls.

Table - 5

Pupil Teacher Ratio of Primary and Upper Primary Levels

Primary 28.18

Upper Primary 35.20

There is a decrease in the enrolment inGovernment Schools and the shift is infavour of Private Schools.

Cohort Analysis for Primary and UpperPrimary

Status of the completion Rate, Repetition

Rate and Dropout Rate of Primary and

Upper Primary Levels during the year

2010-11. At Primary level completion Rate

is 97.36 where as at upper primary level is

93.35.Droput rate is high in upper primary

with 1.79.


The Major issues are to be addressed bythe SCERT for Quality of Schooling.

Efforts have to be taken to improvethe enrolment of children in Primary andUpper Primary levels to 100%.There is adecrease in the enrolment in the Govt.Schools and the shift is in favour of privateschools. This issue has to be addressed.The enrolment of children at secondaryschools was 66.71%. There is wide gap of32% enrolment between upper primary andsecondary levels, which is the serious issueto be addressed. Hon’ble CM gives toppriority for quality schooling. Concernedover these indicators and in view ofimportant parameters, Govt of Tamil Naduhas decided to go in for educationalreforms. Hence School EducationDepartment has initiated manyeducational reforms.

SCERT has played a major role ineffective implementation of theseeducational reforms. The followingeducational reforms were launched.

Educational Reforms (Academic)

A. Improving the quality of education1. Development of Tamil Nadu School

Curriculum Frame work.

2. Revision of Syllabus and Developmentof Text Books (XI - XII)

3. Examination Reforms

4. Development of Curriculum andSyllabus for Elementary TeacherEducation

5. Introduction of Trimester Pattern &Introduction of Continuous andCompre-hensive Evaluation (CCE)Methodology

6. Introduction of Simplified ActivityBased Learning (SABL) at the Primarylevel (Classes I to

7. Improvement in reading, writing andlistening skills

8. Enrichment of the Active LearningMethodology (ALM) at the UpperPrimary Level (Classes VI to VIII)

9. Focus on core subjects for improvingperformance at Secondary and HigherSecondary level

10. Emphasis on the Secondary / HigherSecondary Education to ensuretransition to Higher Education(Classes IX to XII)

Table - 6

Indicators All2010-2011

Boys Girls Total

GER 103.18 98.21 106.3

NER 68.69 64.72 66.71

Dropout Rate 13.02 13.52 13.27


11. Information and Communi-cation

Technology (ICT) interventions for

better learning outcomes

12. Capacity Building of Stakeholders

B. Improving Access

1. Ensuring Education for all Children in

the age group of 6-14

2. Improve the Gross Enrolment / Net

Enrolment Ratio and reduce the drop

out level both at middle and secondary

level

3. Identify and map habitations eligible

to be provided with access of the

required type of education

4. Introduction of English Medium

Sections in Government Schools

C. Educational Reforms (General)

1. Implementation of RTE Act (2009)

2. Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) – For

appointment of Quality Teachers

3. Written Competitive Exam – for PG

teachers

4. Welfare Schemes for School Children

5. Research Activities for addressing and

solving crucial issues and difficulties

I. Revamping Educational System

1. The Hon’ble Chief Minister hasannounced that the existingeducational system be revamped.

2. Subsequently the Government hasconstituted a 9 member ExpertCommittee under the Chairmanship ofMinister for School Education.

3. As an important measure the ExpertCommittee constituted 3 sub-committees

4. Tamil Nadu School CurriculumFramework Committee

5. Syllabus revision committee for highersecondary course

6. Examination Reforms Committee

II. Development of Tamil NaduSchool Curriculum Framework.

1. The directions enshrined in the Vision2023 document of the Hon’ble ChiefMinister of Tamil nadu.

2. The specific learning needs of thechildren of the State

3. The Tamil Nadu Right of Children to

Free and Compulsory Education

Rules, 2011 which envisages access,

retention and quality education in

schools.

4. The National Curriculum Framework,

2005.


III. Revision of Higher Secondary

Syllabus

1. The Expert Committee nominated Prof.

Bh. Nagabhushana Rao, Former

Director Academic Programmes and

Director Research, Anna University as

the Chairperson of the Higher

Secondary Syllabus Committee and

developed the draft in the light of NCF

(2005)

2. The draft syllabus was approved by the

Common Board of School Education

3. SCERT has submitted to the

Government for its approval.

IV. Examination Reforms

1. The Examination Reforms committee,

was constituted under the

C h a i r m a n s h i p o f

Mr.G.Balasubramanian, Former

Director (Academic), CBSE, New Delhi

2. This committee would address the

existing issues and suggest measures

to improve the standard and quality

of school examinations

V. Introduction of Trimester

1. In order to reduce the Book load ofschool children and to ensure stress-free and joyful learning by children, theHon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Naduannounced the introduction ofTrimester Pattern in the floor of StateLegislative Assembly on 26.08.2011

2. Trimester

Three terms in a yearOne set of books for each term.Students carry 1/3rd of the book loadnow.

3. Printed and supplied on time byTNTBES


Table - 7

Comparison of Weight of Text Books (in Kilogram)

Standard Average weight Priorto 2012-13 Trimesterof Student Weightof Bag Weight of the Bag

2012-13

Boys Girls

I 15 12 3 1.50

II 18 14 3 1.50

III 19 17 4 2.00

IV 19 17 4 2.00

V 27 25 5 2.50

VI 31 29 7 3.25

VII 33 31 7 3.35

VIII 37 35 7 3.75

VI. Continuous and ComprehensiveEvaluation (CCE)

1. Hon’ble Chief Minister of TamilNadu announced the introductionof Continuous and ComprehensiveEvaluation on 26.08.2011 in thefloor of State Legislative Assemblywith the objective of helpingchildren face the examination

2. Implementation of CCE ismandatory as per the RTE act 2009and Tamilnadu is one of thepioneering States.

3. Identified Scholastic Areas –Curricular Units and Co-ScholasticAreas

4. Designed Evaluation Scheme forConnecting Methodology toAssessment

5. Designed assessment Frameworkfor Scholastic Areas and CoScholastic Areas

6. Developed Teachers’ Manual forCCE for Primary, Upper Primaryand Secondary Level

7. Trained Key Resource Persons andTeachers

VII. Simplified Activity Based learning(SABL)

1. ABL was modified and simplified toconform to the radical change in theevaluation system SSA developedSABL cards with the technical supportof SCERT. The SCERT organizedCapacity Building Training to ResourcePersons and Primary Teachers incollaboration with SSA.


VIII. Simplified Activity Based learning (SABL)

Number of cards as well as milestones have been reduced reasonably and activitieshave been simplified for comprehensive learning

IX. Improvement in Reading, Writingand Arithmetic

1. To improve the student’s basiclearning ability of reading, writing skilland basic arithmetic the SCERTdesigned a special training withsupport of SSA.

2. In all, 65000 primary and Upperprimary teachers got benefitted

3. As a follow up activity, SCERT providesresearch support to SSA in organizingState level Achievement Survey inReading, Writing and Arithmetic Skills.

4. DIET Faculty members facilitateteachers to correctly identify childrenwho needs additional support and toassess their reading, writing andarithmetic skills on monthly basis

Table - 8

Subject Number of Number of Number of Number ofCards in Cards in Milestones in Milestones

ABL SABL ABL in SABL

Tamil 874 321 64 39

English 1649 342 48 29

Maths 914 404 64 40

Science 825 416 50 47

Social Science 384 230 31 26

X. Achievement of StudentsAssessed - Classes I-V

In this survey 1377723 students wereassessed covering 26681 schools acrossthe State

Remedial measures given to the studentshave substantially improved theirperformance in reading and writing levels.The comparative findings of the assessmentis shown below.


Table - 9

Subject % of Achievement in Previous Month %Current Month

Tamil - Reading 72 69

English - Reading 54 50

Tamil - Writing 63 57

English - Writing 47 40

Arithmetic - Skill Based 56 53

XI. Enrichment of the Active LearningMethodology (ALM) at the UpperPrimary Level (Classes VI to VIII)

1. Teachers trained in integrationof CCE in ALM

2. SCERT is instrumental inconducting training to teachershandling classes VI to VIII

3. Focus on core subjects forimproving performance atSecondary and HigherSecondary level

4. SCERT offered Training to17010 Post Graduate Teachersin Tamil Nadu

5. They were trained in emergingdevelopments in content andinstructional strategies in coresubjects viz., Mathematics,Physics, Chemistry, Biology andZoology.

6. SCERT Organized the trainingprogramme employing the

services of College andUniversity Professors

7. Emphasis on the Secondary /Higher Secondary Education toensure transition to HigherEducation (Classes IX to XII)

8. Educational participation andefficiency critically depends onthe continuance of studentsfrom one stage of education toanother stage.

9. SCERT provides academicsupport to RMSA in planning,providing capacity buildingtraining and onsite supportduring training programmes,and during school visits

10. SCERT assists the RMSA in thedevelopment of the materials forbridge courses and the training

11. SCERT imparts life skillstraining to both secondary andhigher secondary students


XII. Information and CommunicationTechnology (ICT) interventionsfor better learning outcome

Primary & Upper Primary Levels

1. The State established 8645centres with 23,168 computersand other peripherals.

2. Need based training is given toteachers through Microsoft andother agencies.

3. 1,23,228 teachers have beentrained so far. In the year 20122013, 23,642 teachers havebeen trained on basic computerskills and 2,91,118 studentshave been benefitted.

4. A special content enrichmentDVD namely ‘TOON MASTI’ hasbeen provided to all Primary andUpper Primary schools.

5. SCERT reviewed the DVD andtranslated the content of theDVD.

Secondary Levels

1. The Hon’ble Chief Minister hadannounced the implementationof a new scheme like ICT @ Schools,ICT in schools, Smart Schools so asto help the students to accessinformation on various subjects andmaster in computer literacy

2. SCERT with the help ofEducation content server helpsthe students to have access onvarious subjects.

3. Education Content Server (ECS)which is a part of EMIS of SchoolEducation has been establishedfor sharing of resources throughonline by teachers and students

4. SCERT critically validates thedigital resources for uploadingit in the web portal

5. SCERT has organized thefollowing trainings, workshops,meetings, symposium, discussionsetc., for the effective implementationof RTE Act (2009), Welfare Schemes,Reforms in Pedagogy and Evaluation


Name of the Programme Beneficiaries

Sensitization training on RTE Act All Stakeholders (1,92,958)

Orientation on NCF 2005 Teacher Educators (500)

Orientation on NCFTE 2009 Teacher Educators (105)

CCE Training All Stakeholders (2,71,107)

Content Enrichment Training to Primary Teachers , Upper Primary Teachers, BTTeachers Teachers PG teachers , DIET and TTI Faculty

Members (1,96,850)


Communicative English Primary Teachers and Upper Primary Teachers(75,489)

Understanding Simple Science Primary and Upper Primary Teachers (76,975)Concepts through Experimentand Projects

Reading Writing and Basic Primary and Upper Primary Teachers (78,029)Arithmetic Skills

Map Reading Skills Upper Primary Teachers (12,960)


Faculty Development Programme : Faculty members of DIET and SCERT (12)Quality Improvement for Personaland Organizational Growth

Faculty Development Programme Faculty members of DIET and SCERT (12)–Team Building

Faculty Development Programme Faculty members of DIET and SCERT (12)–Communication for Effectiveleadership

Capacity Building Programme Faculty members of DIET and SCERT (60)Creative Usage of Media forEffective Education

Social Awareness and Cyber Safety Primary and Upper Primary Teachers (83,029)

Child Rights and Protection Primary and Upper Primary Teachers (77,658)Training

Mobile Counsellor Training Mobile Counsellors (34)& Guidance

Training on MitigatingExamination Stress of Students Graduate Teachers (128)

Workshop on ResearchMethodology DIET faculty (59)

Training on Life Skills Teachers and Students of Standards IX and XI

Details of Capacity Building of Stakeholders


Capacity Building of Stakeholders

I. Ensuring Education for all Children in the age group of 6-14

1. DIETs have developed DistrictDevelopment Plan in coordination withDistrict functionaries viz., CEO, CEOSSA, DEEO, DEOs and IMS

2. In this process, needs of the Districtslike access, infrastructure, classroominterventions, training, have beendiscussed and identified

3. DIET faculty involved in campaign formobilizing local community to enrollthe children in school in the beginningof the academic year.

4. SMC and SMDC trainings areconducted by DIET faculty

5. Improve the Gross Enrolment / NetEnrolment Ratio and reduce the dropout level both at Middle and Secondarylevel.

State Govt. is sensitive to the issue ofdropout, net enrolment and grossenrolment.

6. Hon’ble Chief Minister ordered toopening of 54 new primary schools, upgradation of 208 middle schools intohigh schools and 300 high schools intohigher secondary schools with 100%States’ financial assistance

7. Up gradation of 65 primary schools asmiddle schools and 552 middleschools as high schools with centraland states’ financial assistant

8. Tamil Nadu being a vast state ,it isnecessary to map all the served andun served habitations to arrive at theexact number of habitations whereaccess needs to be provided

9. To decide on the eligibility of a habitatto have a school mapping of the terrainand comparing the data with already

available access is required


10. The most important component of GIS

mapping is school mapping.

11. This exercise would help planners toensure that all children who cannotaccess school for social, cultural andeconomic reasons, are enabled to doso.

12. GIS also helps to determine thechanges necessary in schools,including infrastructure, teachers, andequipment.

13. The Geographic Information System(GIS) is a computer-based system forthe storage, retrieval, manipulation,analysis, and display of geographicdata.

14. GIS is an effective tool to manage andmonitor School related activities in theschools of Tamilnadu, where in thefocus is the children and the facilityprovided to them in schools.

15. SCERT and DIETs assist SSA in doingGIS (School mapping exercise) onmodern lines.

16. In response to parental demand andto ensure equality of opportunitiesto all children recently Governmenthas opened English medium sectionsin 3600 schools.

17. SCERT organized training programmesfor the teachers handling thesesections

18. This has resulted in the increase ofenrollment of children to the tune of

one lakh

Implementation of RTE Act 2009

1. SCERT was designated as the nodal

agency for the implementation of RTE

Act

2. SCERT was instrumental for framing

the rulings of the RTE Act 2009

3. SCERT developed training manuals,

brochures, booklet on FAQ

4. SCERT sensitized all the stakeholders

of school education on RTE Act

through trainings and workshops

Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) –

Appointment of Quality Teachers

The State Government has radically

changed the quality of teaching force in

Tamil nadu. So far three TETs have been

conducted by Teachers Recruitment Board

(TRB) and 20920 teachers have been

recruited. Due to this mass appointment,

Teacher Pupil Ratio of Tamil nadu stands

at 1:26 for Primary and 1:27 for Upper

Primary which is far better than the ratio

prescribed by RTE Act (1:30 for Primary

and 1:35 for Upper Primary).SCERT

organized induction training for these

newly recruited 20920 Teachers. As a

unique inclusive initiative in India, Hon’ble

Chief Minister has ordered to conduct a

special TET for differently-abled

candidates. SCERT has been entrusted

with the responsibility of organizing special


training for the visually impairedcandidates to face the special TET examswith confidence .654 visually impairedcandidates were benefitted. Teachers

Recruitment Board conducted the thirdTamil Nadu Teacher Eligibility Test in theyear 2013, throughout the State. Theoverview of the same is as below:-

A 5% relaxation will be given from thepresent 60% marks for passing the TamilNadu Teacher Eligibility Test. Relaxing 5%marks from the present pass mark of 60%and fixed the pass mark at 55% or 82marks for candidates belonging toScheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes,Backward Classes, Backward Classes

(Muslims), Most Backward Classes,Denotified Communities and Persons withDisability (PWD).

This relaxation was given to the candidateswho had appeared in the TNTET held in2013. Hence, 43,183 candidatesadditionally qualified in the TNTET, 2013.

Table-10

SL.NO TET 2013 No. of Candidates No.of Candidates Appeared Passed

1. Paper I 2,62,187 12,596

2. Paper II 4,00,311 16,922

Total 6,62,498 29,518


Table-11

Sl.No TET 2013 No. of candidates declared as Passed asper G.O.Ms.No.25

1. Paper I 17,996

2. Paper II 25187

Total 43,183

Written Competitive Exam for PGTeachers

Government of Tamil nadu hastaken a policy decision to conductcompetitive written examination for therecruitment of competent PG teachersthrough TRB.SCERT organizes inductiontraining utilizing the services ofExperienced PG teachers , DIET Faculty ofDIETs, Colleges and Universities. TheBoard conducted the written exam for therecruitment of Post Graduate Assistants on21.07.2013. 1,59,748 candidates appearedin the exam. However, only 841 PostGraduate Assistants for the subjects of

Tamil, Zoology, Geography, PhysicalEducation Director Grade I, Home Scienceand Bio-Chemistry have been selected. Theprocess of selecting the remaining subjectcandidates is underway.

Welfare Interventions

Government of Tamil Nadu haslaunched many welfare schemes toaddress the social disparities amongschool children. The government supportwould be crucial in enhancing enrollmentand retention. Understanding the concernsof the parents and students, Hon’ble CMhas launched the following welfareschemes


State Initiatives – Welfare Schemes

Table - 12

Welfare Schemes Classes Beneficiaries Amount(in lakh) (in Crore)

Laptop XII 5.5 1100.00

Special Cash Incentives X - XII 381.00

Text Books I - XII 111.29 264.35

Note Books I - X 77.66 106.45

School Bag I - XII 90.78 120.71

Footwear I - X 77.66 120.07

Geometry boxes, Atlas, etc. VI-X 9.39 6.77

Colour Pencils and Crayons I - V 31.45 6.49

Woollen sweater I - VIII 1.03 3.71

Bus Pass I - XII 20.57 323.00

Uniform I - VIII 46.29 409.30

Cycle XI 6.30 216.04

Sanitary Napkins Girl children 36.07 56.63

Total 3112.52


Welfare Interventions

SCERT has organized training

programmes to implement the welfare

schemes by the stakeholders effectively.

DIET Faculty members during School Visit

provide on-site support to children how to

effectively use the materials. SCERT has

planned to carry out research about the

outcomes of the welfare schemes’

component in 2015-16

Mobile Counseling Centres

The Government of Tamilnadu

established Mobile Counseling centres

keeping in mind the mental health of High

and Higher Secondary Students. The

Government of Tamil Nadu have appointed


region-wise ten mobile counselors. The

main aim of this reform is to prepare the

students against the common problems

like mental stress, exam phobia, and

various stresses inside the classroom or

in the society .SCERT is entrusted with the

responsibility of improving the capacity of

guidance and counseling of the mobile

counselors

Creating Awareness on Social issues

Government of Tamilnadu has taken

special initiatives to create awareness on

social issues like Child Rights and

Protection and Cyber Safety .SCERT

developed the training manuals and

organized training for teachers

Research Activities

SCERT has established a Research

Cell, The Research cell guides, Selection of

researchable issues, Writing of Research

proposals, Development and Validation of

tools and Reviewing the report of the

Research Findings.9 State Level and 59

District Level Research Projects have been

taken

Some of the State Level Research

Projects

Development and Validation of Tool

for On-Site Support to DIETs, and Schools,

Utilization of Integrated Science Lab in

Upper Primary Schools, Impact of In-

Service Training Programmes organized by

SCERT and DIETs during 2007-2012,

Reading Skill Development, A Study on the

Performance of PSTE Branch in DIETs and

Mid-Term Assessment Survey on CCE.

Some of the District Level Research

Projects

Functioning of School Management

Committees in Thiruchirappalli

District.Parents’ Attitude towards

Schooling and Education of Girl children

in select blocks of Madurai District.

Awareness of Natural Disasters among

High School Students in Nagapattinam

District .Availability and utilization of ICT

materials at elementary level in Karur

District .A study on Continuous and

Comprehensive Evaluation in Chennai. The

Awareness on RTE Act, 2009 among

Elementary School Teachers in

Pudukkottai.

Outcomes of Educational Reforms

As a result of various educational

reforms initiated by the State Government

remarkable progress have been made in

the following indicators .NER, CR. RR. DR,

TPR, Learning outcomes

GER & NER of Primary Level

The GER of children in primary

schools has increased and crossed 100

percentage.


Table - 13

GER All

Boys Girls Total

2010-11 100.75 100.99 100.87

2012-13 100.89 100.96 100.93

• The enrolment of children in Primary

schools is progressively increasing

towards 100%.

Table - 14

NER All

Boys Girls Total

2010-11 99.57 99.63 99.60

2012-13 99.68 99.70 99.69

GER & NER of Upper Primary Level

The GER of children in primary schools has

increased considerably and achieved 100

and above.Table - 15

GER All

Boys Girls Total

2010-11 101.91 102.05 101.98

2012-13 101.96 102.10 102.03

• The enrolment of children in Upper

Primary schools is progressively

increasing towards 100%

Table - 16

NER All

Boys Girls Total

2010-11 98.79 98.89 98.84

2012-13 98.95 99.05 99.00

GER & NER of Secondary Level

There is a huge increase from 98.21 to102.93 in the girls Gross Enrolment Rateat Secondary levels. The GER& NER boysis higher than the Girls.Droput rate is highin Girls.

Table - 17

GER All

Boys Girls Total

2010-11 103.18 98.21 106.3

2012-13 103.76 102.93 103.36

There is a huge increase in the enrolment

(27%) at Secondary levels. The Enrollment

is expected increase further due to

successful implementation of various

student welfare schemes.

Table - 18

NER All

Boys Girls Total

2010-11 68.69 64.72 66.71

2012-13 94.35 93.90 94.13


Cohort Analysis for Primary and UpperPrimary

Status of the completion Rate, Repetition

Rate and Dropout Rate of Primary and

Upper Primary Levels during the year

2010-11.At Primary level completion Rate

is 97.36 where as at upper primary level is

93.35.Droput rate is high in upper primary

with 1.79. The completion rate has

increased. The dropout rate and repetition

rate have decreasedTable - 19


Completion Repetition Dropout Completion Repetition DropoutRate Rate Rate Rate Rate Rate

2010-11 97.36 1.64 1.00 93.35 4.86 1.79

2012-13 97.83 1.34 0.93 94.23 4.74 1.70

Enrolment Trend

There is a positive trend in enrolment inGovernment and Government AidedSchools compared to the private Schools.

The enrolment trend of primary schools

shows that the performance of Govt is next

to private schools and aided schools stands

last position.

Table - 20

Level Category 2012-13 2013-14

Primary Govt. 36.55 38.04

Aided 17.99 16.93

Private 45.4 45.03

Upper Primary Govt. 45.03 44.88

Aided 26.45 27.26

Private 28.5 27.86


Graph-3

PTR for Primary and Upper Primary Levels

Improvement in the PTR of Primary andUpper Primary Levels’ The PTR for the year

2010-11 Primary and Upper Primary Levels

are 1:28.18 and 1:35.20 as against RTE

norms of 1.30 and 1.35 respectively.

Table - 21


2010-11 28.18 35.20

2013-14 24.74 26.56


SSLC — Pass Percentage

The performance of students in X standardBoard Examination has been consistently

increasing every year. There is an increase

of 2.8% in the year 2013(89%) when

compared with the previous year (86.2%).

TABLE - 22

2011 2012 2013

Appeared 989382 1050922 1051062

Passed 859717 905538 935215

Pass Percentage 86.9 86.2 89

HSC — Pass Percentage

The performance of students in XIIstandard Board Examination has been

consistently increasing every year. Thereis an increase of 1.4% in the year2013(88.1%) when compared with theprevious year (86.7%).

Table - 23

2011 2012 2013

Appeared 716543 756464 799513

Passed 615593 655594 704125

Pass Percentage 85 86.7 88.1

National Achievement Survey (NAS)Class III & V (2012-13)

The NCERT is conducting periodical

achievement survey at national level for

different classes across the country in all

states from 2002.The NAS report gives

national and state level picture of what

students in specific classes know and can

do and to use these findings to identify gaps

and diagnose areas that need

improvement. The performance of Tamil

Nadu is significantly above the national

average. Tamil Nadu ranked third in the

NAS conducted by NCERT in Mathematics

and fourth in Language.


Graph-4

Tamil Nadu Status – Much above the National Average on Student’s Achievement –Genderwise – Standard III

Table - 24

Class Level Language Maths EVS

III National 257 252 —

Tamil Nadu 274 271 —

V National 247 251 249

Tamil Nadu 278 279 288

Tamil Nadu ranked third in the NAS conducted by NCERT in Mathematics and fourth inLanguage.


Educational Development Index (EDI)

As per the Composite EDI and Ranks at

Primary and Upper Primary – 2012-13 (ALL

Schools: ALL Management) Constructed by

National University for Planning and

Administration, New Delhi based on all in

India data, Tamilnadu has moved from

Rank 3 to 1 among the other State in

respect of Primary and Upper Primary.

SCERT has put fourth few

recommendations - They are Introduction

of Innovative Six month Internship

programme in DTEd - Similar to House

Surgeons, a stipend linked six month

internship at the end of II year Diploma in

Elementary Teacher Education (D.El.Ed)

programme is proposed. This would

address teacher shortage squarely in

difficult terrains and inaccessible rural

areas.

ICT award for Innovative SchoolPractices to Teachers - Teachers adoptsdifferent strategies with the help of ICT tosolve learning related issues with creativity.Teaching intelligence should bestrengthened by appropriate rewards.When the award is given after the openpresentation preceded by recordverifications will provide an opportunity toshare their creativity along with awards.Hence ICT award for Innovative SchoolPractices to Teachers is proposed.

Establishment of learning help-linesStudents need support for the continuationof what is taught in the classroom. Allstudents are having not access for gettingsupport. A helpline that will be establishedwill function even in out of the schoolhours. Similar to Call centers this helplinewill provide availability and location of

Educational resources through SMS,

phone calls etc.



SESSION - II

District Institute of Education and

Training (DIET) in Tamil Nadu

The vision of the DIET is Carrying wayforward that the Empowering Teachersthrough Excellence in Training. Themission statements speaks aboutexemplary Pre-Service Teacher Education,Comprehensive Quality In-ServiceEducation, Integration of ICT in trainingand Class room processes, Promoting Workethics through work experience,Development of need- based curricularmaterials, Data based Planning forInstitutional Development and teacherquality ,Research and Action Research,Extension Activities. The major objectivesare To prepare committed and competentteachers with a repertoire of skills in theart and craft of teaching, To Provide need-based teacher Development programesthrough in-service training and on-sitesupport for continuous professionalupdation, To design Scholastic and co-scholastic materials for enriching the classroom transaction, To prepare plans forstrategic development of DIETs throughState and Central funding and help otherhorizontal structures e.g SSA, RMSA intheir preparation of District Plans, To makeICT an integral part of training andteaching processes, To nurture the cultureof respecting manual labour throughexperiential learning, To reach out to neo-literates through alternative literacystrategies and To conduct researches forreflective practice, programme evaluationand policy decision at state level

District Institute of Education andTraining –(DIET). They are At presentthere are 29 DIETs in Tamil Nadu, ChennaiDIET was established in 1990.Thebranches of the of DIET are DistrictResource Unit, To assist educationalauthorities in planning and coordinationof training programmes for AE/NFEpersonnel throughout the district andprovide necessary support to suchprogrammes organized outside the dist. Toevaluate and monitor the quality andefficacy of training programmes for NFE/AE personnel held in and outside the DIETand to strive for their continuousimprovement. To maintain data- base onall NFE/AE personnel who undergotraining at the institute, and to organizefollow up activities pursuant to suchtraining.

Educational Technology

Collaborating with concerned staff of thediet and other resource persons,Developing simple, effective and low costteaching aids for various subjects/areasrelated to elementary education andelementary teacher education.

Educational Technology (ET)

To maintain the: all A.V equipments of theinstitute (ii) computer lab (iii) A displayarea for good, low cost teaching aidsdeveloped in house as well as else where,and(iv) A library of educational video/audiocassettes and if the institute has a filmprojector of film To lend slides, cassettes


and films to institutions having planning/ projection facilities and to borrow themfrom other resource centers.(i) effectiveutilization of educational broadcasts,telecasts ,cassettes and aids (ii)development of simple ,low cost teachingaids.

Planning and Management (P&M)

To maintain an appropriate data base forthe district in coordination with SSA andRMSA this may be required for variousplanning exercises. To conduct studieswith a view to give policy advice toeducational planners/Administrators andprovide data on enrolment, retention, andregularity of attendance of children andadult learners development of normscriteria and techniques for evaluation ofinstitutions of the district

Curriculum & Material Development &Evaluation (C.M.D.E)

To adopt existing items and develop newitems of the following kinds so that theysuit local circumstances and can be usedin elementary teacher educationprogrammes.(i) curricular units - new,locally relevant units could be developedfor the distt. in various subjects tosupplement the generally prescribedcurricula. Such units may pertain to topicslike local geography folk love ,legend,customs forests, fairs and festivals,demography, geology, minerals,agriculture, industry, service, occupation,folk art, handicrafts, communities and

tribes, institutions etc.(ii) teaching learningfor general as well as locally developedcurricular units . specially primary forclasses I and II in tribal languages indistrict having substantial tribalpopulation.(iii) techniques and guidelinesfor continuous and summative learner-evaluation.

Work Experience (W.E.)

To identify locally relevant WE areas, andin cooperation with concern nodalbranches to develop sample curricularunits, teaching learning material, low costteaching aids and evaluation toolstechniques in such areas. To organizeactivities for cleanliness, upkeep anddevelopment of the institute campus rids,play grounds, lawns, gardens, etc and itssurroundings and for basic maintenanceof institute furniture and other properties.To organize community service activitiesand study visits to work centers as a partof training programmes and to promotesuch activities on extra curricular basis.To maintain T.L.M. room, workshop/farm/Garden for activities. To promote workrelated hobbies among trainees of theinstitution

Pre-Service Teacher Education (PSTE)

140 students are undergoing pre-servicetraining in Chennai DIET at present. Theyare also exposed to various experiences inthe field of education, NSS, Science clubactivities, Sports and Yoga, Peaceeducation, Maths club etc


Training Programmes Organised ByDIET - CCE for 9th Standard teachingteachers , Life Skill Education Programme– LSEP, Content Enrichment for PostGraduate Teachers, Red Ribbon ClubProgramme – RRC

Training Programmes Conducted inDIETs - arivom Agilathai programme forGeography teachers, training for TeachersTeaching in English Medium Sections ofGovt and Aided schools,7th Std Text bookReview, PSTE Maths Source Book Review,Population Education Programme, SpecialTET Training for Visually Impaired Persons

Educational Reforms and TrainingActivities of DIET - Trimester pattern,Continuous and ComprehensiveEvaluation, CCE for 9th Standard Teachers,Content Enrichment Training For PGTs,Life Skill Education Programme – LSEP,World AIDS day function At ChennaiCollectorate, LSEP Training – AIDS DayCompetitions, LSEP Training – AIDS DayCompetitions – Active Participation, LSEPTraining – AIDS Day Competitions,Chennai District Collector Distributed thePrizes, for the Winners distribution.

Trimester Pattern - In 2012-2013, the textbooks of Standard I to VIII have beendivided into three parts, Two Books perTrimester language books - core subjectsMathematics, Science and Social Science.

Continuous and ComprehensiveEvaluation - Training on CCE for teachersof Class 1 to 8th was conducted during May

2012 and Training on CCE for teachers ofClass 9th was conducted during May 2013– Before the start of the new academic year.Nearly 3241 BT teachers are trained inChennai district alone.

CCE for 9th Standard TeachersConducted during May 2013 and 3241teachers are benefitted through thistraining.

Content Enrichment Training for PGTsAfter the up-gradation of DTERT intoSCERT for first time Content Enrichmenttraining for the Post Graduate TeachersTeaching in Higher Secondary Schools forresult improvement conducted. PGTs ofEnglish, Maths, Physics, Chemistry,Botany, Zoology and Commerce&Accountancy covered, College Professorsworked as Resource persons for thistraining programme,623 PGTs are trainedin Chennai District.

Life Skill Education Programme (LSEP)LSEP Training Programme was conductedduring November 2013.415 Teachersparticipated in the programme from 415high and higher secondary schools. In turnthey conducted the programme for 14 daysfor the students of 9th and 11th Stds.

World AIDS day function At ChennaiCollectorate - They are LSEP Training –AIDS Day Competitions, Competitions –Drawing – Elocution - Essay Writing forschool students are conducted on the eveof World AIDs day.


Research

The research activities under taken by the

DIETs are as follows

1. DIET has a serious responsibility of

carrying out educational

researches.

2. DIET makes teachers more reflective

professionals, administrators and

also establish benchmarks of

standards for the State through

applied and action researches

3. At present there are 59 research

projects being conducted across the

State.

Researches done in DIET ChennaiThey are A Study on Continuous and

Comprehensive Evaluation-By Dr. S.

Shameem, Enhancing Logical Thinking in

Mathematics Through Laboratory Activities

Among 8th Standard Students-By Dr. S.

Malarvizhi.Dr. S. Malarvizhi during her

field visit, the research findings are 1.

Mathematics laboratory activities

enhanced the logical thinking of VIII

standard students. 2. The need for

‘Training on Mathematics laboratory

activities’ was evident from the study.

Innovative practices in DIETs

The important innovative initiatives are

1.Community Breakfast Scheme

DIET,Kid‘s Wall Dictionary Kumulur,

District Development Initiative for the

improvement of literacy skills DIET, Eco

Professional support to govt English

DIET Medium Classes in Elementary

Oddanchatram Schools, Mobile Teaching

in Tribal Schools DIET, Ranipet Schools,

Vadalur.

Training for Visually ImpairedPersons (ET)

The ET is also conducted for Hon Chief

Minister has announced a special Coaching

for Visually impaired persons to write the

TET examination. The forty day programme

was started on 22nd February 2014,250

Visually impaired persons have benefitted

from the training.

Pre-Service Teacher Education (P.S.T.E)

140 students are undergoing Pre-service

training in Chennai DIET at present. Apart

from class room and training activities they

are exposed to various experiences in the

field of education. They also participate in

Science club activities, Sports and Yoga,

Peace Education Activities, Maths club etc

and NSS.

Enhancing the Quality of Textbooks

The DIETs are entrusted with the

responsibility of enhancing the quality of

the existing textbooks. A series of

workshops were organized to identify

spelling errors, mistakes in sentence

construction and conceptual errors. A

group of eminent teachers and experts of


respective subjects were involved in this

process. At the end, the enriched term-wise

text books have been revised. Textbook

review has been conducted by DIET

faculties. In Chennai DIET, 7th Standard

Mathematics Text Book was reviewed.

Inclusion of Casteless Society and Cyber

Safety in Text books

DIET has developed the material for the

Casteless society and another on the cyber

safety in the text books and it will be

incorporated in the text books in the

academic year 2013-2014.

Extension Activities such as Addressing

social concerns

1.Diabetes - Realizing the State

Government’s deep-seated concern for the

health and hygiene of young learners,

SCERT organized training on Diabetes in

collaboration with Indian Diabetic

Research Foundation. The programme was

piloted in two districts viz Chennai and

Thiruvallur.

2.Child Abuse - BRTEs and middle school

Headmasters were given training to

effectively implement the safety and

security of the children.

Training Programmes conducted in

collaboration with SSA - Generating

Awareness on Environment among Upper

Primary and Primary Class Teachers,

Training on Inclusive Education, Training

on Simplified Activity Based Learning

Method, Training on Science Practical for

Elementary Teachers, Training on Art

Education and Work Experience ,Training

for Primary and Upper Primary School

Heads for Leadership Skills.

There is a gap between the functions of

National Council of Educational Research

and Training (NCERT) and State Council


(SCERT) resulting in non implementation

of most of the policies and schemes

envisaged by the Ministry of Human

Resources and Development. Hence, it is

necessary to strengthen and improve the

infrastructure facilities of the SCERT and

DIETs to enable it to carry out more

research oriented projects and assessment

surveys.

Capacity building of teachers is inevitable

to improve the learning outcomes viz.

Reading, Writing and Listening skill of the

student right from the primary level.

Hence, it is necessary to increase the outlay

of capacity building particularly in the

Areas of the induction training, refresher

training and subject wise training for

English, Maths and Science.


� Introduction of Innovative Sixmonth Internship programme in

DTEd – similar to House Surgeons, a

stipend linked six month internship at

the end of II year Diploma in

Elementary Teacher Education

(D.EI.Ed) programme is suggested. It

is necessary to address teacher

shortage squarely in difficult terrains

and inaccessible rural areas.

� It is necessary to lay emphasis on

School Development Plan. This will

help to address the specific issues to

be resolved in the respective school for

improving the performance.

� Special focus to be made on trainingof Headmasters as this will bring out

the remarkable improvement in

planning strategizing and

implementing programmes and

schemes at the school level.

� ICT award for innovative schoolpractices to teachers is to be given for

teachers adopts different strategies

with the help of ICT to solve learning

related issues with capacity, Teaching

intelligence should be strengthened by

appropriate rewards and this award is

given after the open presentation

preceded by record verifications will

provide an opportunity to share their

creativity along with awards.

� Establishment of Learning help-linesis suggested that the students needsupport for the continuation of whatis taught in the classroom, students

are having not access for getting

support. This helpline will function

Recommendations/ Outcomes


even in out of the school hours and it

will provide availability and location of

Educational resources through SMS,

Phone calls etc.,

� Skill Development Programmes and

Career Counselling are also require to

be given special thrust: School

Education Department may take

necessary action to provide typing skill

& Data entry guidance to all the

children. The market demand for

skilled manpower may be examined

and appropriate opportunity /

platform may be provided to children

in order to develop their employability

in industries after acquiring

appropriate skill development courses.

� All the Training Programmes

conducted for the school teachers may

contain Sanitation issues in the

training module. The Text books and

Note Books supplied by the School

Department may have the social

message highlighting the importanceof Sanitation & toilet usage printed onthe cover pages.

� It is suggested that to ensure optionalutilization of toilets available in theschool premises staggered usage,supervision of usage by the teachers,maintenance of school toilets,construction and design of toilet withinthe premises school buildings etc.,need to be encouraged. For all GirlSchools it must be ensured thatincinerators are available.

� Chapter on Safe Sanitation andhygiene may be incorporated in all theclasses of Primary and SecondarySchool children as a curriculum.

� It is suggested that the sanitation oathcan be taken in the housing assemblyto sensitize and motivate the childrento have toilet in their homes.Recognition of the children in theassembly for the promotion ofsanitation would create more demand.


Arithmetic Skill



LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

S.No. Name and Designation

1. Tmt. Santha Sheela Nair, I.A.S., (Retd.),Vice-Chariperson,State Planning Commission, Chennai-5

2. Dr. Sugato Dutt, I.F.S.,Member-Secretary (i/c),State Planning Commission, Chennai-5

3. Tmt. D. Sabitha, I.A.S.,Principal Secretary to Government,School Education Department, Chennai-9

4. Thiru V. C. Rameswara Murugan,Director of School Education, Chennai-6

5. Thiru S. Kannappan,Director,State Council of Education Resource & Training, Chennai–6.

6. Thiru N.R. Murali,Deputy Commissioner,KVS Regional Office, Chennai-6

7. R. Pitchai,Director of Matriculation Schools, Chennai-6

8. Thiru A. Sankar,Project Director, RMSA, Chennai-6

9. Dr. R. Elangovan,Director of Elementary Education, Chennai-6

10. Dr. M. Palanisamy,Joint Director,Directorate of School Education, Chennai-6


LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

11. Thiru P.A. Naresh,Joint Director, RMSA, School Education Dept., DPI, Chennai-6

12. Ms. Sridevi,Joint Director,State Council of Education Resource & Training, Chennai-6

13. Dr. R. Kishore Kumar,Sr. Principal, St. John’s School, Chennai

14. Ms. Suganya,Joint Director,Directorate of Non - Formal and Adult Education, Chennai-6

15. Thiru R. Alavandar,Senior Lecturer, District Institute of Education & Training,Vadalur, Cuddalore District

16. Dr. R. Ayyappan,Principal, District Institute of Education & Training, Chennai-5.

17. Ms. Aruna Rathnam,Education Specialist, UNICEF, Chennai

18. Dr. S. Vincent De Paul,Reader, State Council of Education Resource & Training, Chennai.

19. Thiru M. Gunasekaran,Technical Officer,Directorate of Non - Formal and Adult Education, Chennai-6



Documents

Role of State Council of Educational Research & Training