Anna univ former VC proposes action plan for TN edu system

Chennai: Anna University's former vice-chancellor E Balagurusamy on Monday suggested a 10-point action plan to chief minister Joseph Vijay to reform the education system in the state.In his letter to the CM, he highlighted issues faced by both higher education and school education in Tamil Nadu. Balagurusamy said both higher education and school education faced serious structural, administrative and academic challenges, and urged him to initiate a comprehensive mission to restore the pride and lost glory of Tamil Nadu's education system. His action plan included appointing regular vice-chancellors in state universities, ensuring financial stability to universities by allocating additional funds, conducting large-scale faculty recruitment in universities and govt colleges and schools, and strengthening research, innovation and industry collaboration in higher educational institutions."Introduce continuous professional development programmes for teachers, modern pedagogical training, performance evaluation systems and motivational incentives to improve their performance. Further, integrate future-oriented education in curricula," the former V-C said. He asked the CM to constitute a state education reforms commission consisting of eminent academicians, educationists, industry leaders and administrators to recommend structural reforms within six months."The future strength and competitiveness of TN depend greatly on the quality, accessibility, and relevance of its education system. TN possesses extraordinary intellectual capital, talented students, dedicated teachers, and a proud educational legacy. With visionary leadership, strong governance, and time-bound reforms, the state can once again emerge as educational capital of India and global centre for knowledge," he said.