Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said to bring in uniformity in primary education in kerala State, after releasing activity books and teacher handbook prepared by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) here on Monday.
The Chief Minister said pre-primary school was a time for children to play and make friends. However, it was regrettable that there were schools in the State that charged up to ₹5 lakh for pre-primary admission. Anganwadis, nurseries attached to schools, and those run by individuals and organisations – all these were part of the pre-primary education sector. The SCERT was working to give these a common form, he said.
The SCERT had prepared a curriculum with this goal in mind, he said. Calling upon teachers to keep up with the changing times, he said the teachers’ handbook would help in their scientific training.
A curriculum for differently abled children in the age-group of 7-16 had been prepared in the country.
Minister for Education C. Ravindranath, who presided over the function, said that when education was modernised, many sections of society could end up marginalised. Through its General Education Protection Campaign, the government was striving to avoid that. No one would be denied education. He said an autism park would come up in each Assembly constituency.
The Chief Minister released eight books such as ‘Thenthulli,’ ‘Manchadi,’ and ‘Kalicheppu’ that include games and activities to be taken up amid song and dance, eight handbooks for teachers, and ‘Kalipaattam,’ an aid for teachers, by handing them over to Mr. Ravindranath.