Latest news with #SLAS
New Indian Express
15 hours ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Coimbatore school education department lays down action plan to solve learning gaps
COIMBATORE: Following the poor performance in the State Level Achievement Survey (SLAS), the district school education department has implemented an action plan to resolve learning gaps and improve learning outcomes among primary school students. This action plan has been executed in primary and middle schools with the help of the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET). An educational officer told TNIE that as per the action plan, students were categorised into four educational levels based on performance-- A, B, C, and D. "Based on this, teachers will place greater emphasis on C and D category students. Their teaching method will prioritise conceptual understanding over memorisation. Before this, teachers should ensure that reading and writing skills are strong," he said. "Following this, headmasters should assess students' learning outcomes twice every week. Secondly, Block Resource Teacher Educators (BRTEs) and Block Educational Officers (BEOs) will review student assessment reports and also assess students themselves.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
State will file Special Leave Petition in Supreme Court over Madras HC's RTE order, says Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi
School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi told reporters in Coimbatore on Saturday the State government will file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court of India, in connection with the Madras High Court's order on admissions under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act). 'We chaired a review meeting regarding this recently. Once the SLP is filed, after that the admission portal will be opened soon,' he said. The Minister was in Coimbatore to participate in a review meeting with school headmasters to assess learning outcomes based on the State-Level Achievement Survey (SLAS). On fund allocations, he said, 'the Central government's share of funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan has not been received. Under the RTE Act, the State has been paying advances on behalf of the Centre, expecting reimbursement later. However, for the past three years, over ₹600 crore has been withheld. It is unfortunate that politics is being played with children's education.' Speaking about the SLAS report, he said the survey focused on students' understanding rather than rote learning. 'It's not about memorising answers, but about actual comprehension. In Coimbatore district, Thondamuthur block was among the low-performing areas. We have prepared individual report cards not just for districts but for each school. Over 9.8 lakh students were assessed, and based on the outcomes, an action plan has been prepared to address the gaps and improve performance,' he said. Shortage of teachers Regarding the shortage of computer science teachers in schools and the current appointment of trainers in labs, he said a survey would be undertaken to assess vacancies. 'Trainers are being used as a temporary solution where posts are vacant. However, we recognise the need for full-time computer science teachers, especially since we are planning to introduce artificial intelligence and robotics in the curriculum. A permanent solution will be arrived at soon,' he added.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
TN schools to ring water bells, circular soon
KRISHNAGIRI: The School Education Department in Tamil Nadu will soon send circulars to schools asking to commence the 'water bell' programme, announced Minister of School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi on Friday. The water bell initiative, which is followed in a few southern states and Puducherry, aims to promote timely intake of drinking water by students to avoid dehydration. "The Kerala government has been carrying out the water bell initiative for the past two years. In Tamil Nadu, our teachers have been verbally instructing the students to drink more water. Considering the well-being of the children, we have been the first to launch the "Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme". Soon we will send circulars instructing schools to commence the water bell initiative," said Minister of School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi at a press meet. Prior to the press meet, the minister participated in the inauguration of the 'STEM Innovation and Learning Centre' in eight schools in Krishnagiri. "Sixteen STEM innovation centres and learning centres have been opened in Krishnagiri district at a cost of Rs 4.44 crore. Out of the 83 STEM innovation centres in the country, Tamil Nadu has 33, and of these, 16 are in Hosur. Students would learn through practical hands-on learning in fields of science, engineering, IT, and other sectors," the minister said. The minster also participated in a conference organised by teachers of the Tamil Nadu Urdu Primary and Middle School. "Urdu is not a foreign language. It is an Indian language with beautiful literature. As per the 2001 survey, over 6% of the population, roughly around 52 million people, speak Urdu in India," Anbil Mahesh noted. Later, the minister also participated in the State Level Achievement Survey (SLAS) events at Mookandapalli, Hosur and Adhiyamankottai in Dharmapuri. "The SLAS aims to improve the performance of teachers and schools for the betterment of students' education," the minister stated. The minister also announced that over 2,346 vacancies for teachers would be filled soon.
Time of India
6 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Give attention to underperforming blocks: Edu minister
Trichy: School education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi held a review meeting with district education officials on Wednesday related to the state level achievement survey (SLAS), a sample survey done by the state planning commission, SCERT, directorates of school education and elementary education this year for measuring learning outcomes of students and identify areas of improvement for students of classes 3, 5 and 8 in govt and aided schools. Trichy district ranked sixth overall in the state-level survey. Headmasters and block education officers from five blocks - Trichy Urban, Andhanallur, Thiruverumbur, Pullambadi, and Manikandam - that recorded the lowest performance in the district participated in the meeting. Although an overall district action plan had been submitted at the end of last month, sources said the minister called for increased attention to the underperforming blocks. The minister also said that he will be meeting and motivating the heads of schools and education officials from these lesser performing blocks. "We will be preparing block-specific action plans over the next two to three weeks," a source said. Despite these variations, sources noted that Trichy performed better than the state average in all subjects across the three assessed classes. The district action plan, based on findings from the survey, highlighted areas needing improvement, such as English reading skills and confusion among students regarding statistical concepts like mean, median, and mode in mathematics. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Important Facts About Dog Behaviour Undo "Phonetic training by DIET to 350 teachers to make it easy for them to train the students to read English easily is a targeted intervention mentioned in the action plan to address gaps of students not able to read properly," a source said. The state level survey was done with the participation of 40-60 students from each of the 16 blocks. Later, the minister congratulated 18 students of Oorudaiyapatti panchayat union middle school for securing NMMS. The HM also was honoured.
Time of India
04-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Madurai ranks third in state-level learning survey, but scores dip in higher classes
Madurai: Madurai district has ranked third in the State Level Achievement Survey (SLAS) 2025, which assessed learning outcomes among gov and aided school students in Classes III, V, and VIII. The district consistently scored above the state average, particularly in Class III, but showed a steady decline in performance in higher classes. According to data accessed by TOI, among 11,064 Class III students surveyed across 1,228 schools in Madurai, scores were above 70% in Tamil, English, and EVS. However, Maths lagged at 62.78%, with just 13% of students meeting the learning outcome for comparing numbers based on place value. "The sample included around 20 students per school and was evaluated independently by trained District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET) college students," said an official from the education department. "Even though performance dipped in higher classes, the district remained above the state average." In Class V, among 12,074 students from 1,230 schools, the average score in English dropped to 56.8%, with only 40% achieving the benchmark for reading comprehension. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dukung Orang Terkasih Menghadapi Limfoma: Mulai Di Sini Limfoma Baca Undo Maths and EVS hovered around 63%. In Class VIII, scores further declined — 43.3% in English and 44.7% in Maths. Reading comprehension in English dropped to 25%, while performance in higher-order Maths was also weak. Science and Social Science scores stood at 43.08% and 60.92%, respectively. Teachers cited poor attendance and an unfavourable student-teacher ratio as key factors behind the decline. "Most students come from Tamil-medium backgrounds, so difficulties in English are expected," said a Madurai school headmaster. "Subjects like Maths require regular attendance, which remains inconsistent since attendance is not mandatory for passing." Girls outperformed boys, and urban students scored better than their rural peers across all levels. The lack of adequate staffing was also flagged. "Many rural primary schools have just two teachers, often managing multiple classes. The sanctioned second teacher is appointed only when student strength crosses 70," said P Sreenivasan, district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Primary School Teachers Federation. Alongside Madurai, other southern districts such as Kanyakumari, Tenkasi, and Sivagangai also ranked among the state's top five performers. Kanyakumari led the state with an overall score of 66.5%, with three of its blocks featuring among the best-performing in Tamil Nadu.
