Let's try to open it without spill...................(2)

Yes, I want to discuss the most burning issue of our educational system. The course design and curriculum. I will not try to generalize it but just to mention what is going on in the schools running primary sections.

I don't know is there any rule or circular out for all the schools of Gujarat whether or not having the same text book for primary and secondary sections. But one thing for sure that if there would be any such rule than all the schools are committing a sin in their primary sections. Let us have some details.

1. Zenith School.

For class V and VI students they have selected some private publication books of which a single book of any subject costs more than 100 rupees. This is not all. In every subject they ask the students to buy a worksheet designed by some private publication of delhi which alone costs again more than 100 rupees per subject. Suppose a student is in class VI then only for the subject of maths he/she has to spend approx 200 rupees only for books.

2.Bright school.

This school has a very unique system of course curriculum as they have two various types of text books for one single subject. For example in class VII in maths, they have selected Gujarat board text book for main course and also oxford publications for some extra chapters. The chapters selected from the book of oxford are very few but for that a student has to spend total of 139 rupees just for a single subject.

 3. Baroda high school.

In this school the whole course is adopted from oxford publication and the cost of books are on an average 125-140 rupees per subject. They don't consider our state board text book important or meaningful as they just demand only oxford publications for all primary classes. I don't know why our educational board not interfering in this matter and why not insisting this schools to strictly follow only Gujarat board text books.

4. Ambe vidyalaya

This school have gone far beyond. In class VI and VII for the subject of science, they have selected a very new publications which have divided the subject of science in three different parts viz physics, chemistry and biology. Each part has its own text book containing 5 to 6 chapters costing around 130 rupees each. So for all three parts students have to spend round about 300 rupees. And again no state board text books for other subjects as well. For mathematics they prefer NCERT book and for Social sciences some new publications.

5. Vidyani vidyalaya

This school has broken all the barriers of selecting a course material and books as they don't prefer state board text books in primary sections as well as in secondary sections. Yes, they have selected NCERT course for the subject of science in class VIII and class IX. Now what happens is when students of this school take admission in class X they have to study from state board text book of science for the examinations of S.S.C. but there is no sync of the chapters and topics of previous standard books and the book of class X.

This information just gives a surface idea of what is happening and has happened over some past years in our schools. The passive side of students' educational life is what we have seen in such kind of book world. But when the matter comes to students, how do they respond to all these ?

[to be continued.............]