Schools help students over career choices

Chennai: Parents of Class XII student, S Hariharan —an autorickshaw driver and a housewife—visited the headmistress of his govt school in Triplicane, not for a complaint, but to discuss his higher education options.Reviewing his revision test scores, the headmistress said, "Hariharan scores well in language and history papers but struggles with maths. He can explore undergraduate options in humanities and social sciences."As board exams are approaching, govt schools have started career counselling sessions, with teachers advising parents on stream selection, higher education, and skill-based training. While some parents want their children to pursue degree programmes, others are considering vocational courses that could improve job prospects.The school education department, in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation, introduced online certificate courses for Classes IX to XII under the Naan Mudhalvan scheme. These courses introduce students to various career paths. Chief education officer Pugalendhi said students can access these courses in computer labs at their schools.School management committee member from Chengalpet, Srimadhi D S, said the committee has been getting requests from parents for career counselling sessions. "Many are unsure about options beyond engineering and medicine. Students are interested in vocational streams, but not all schools have implemented them fully. These skill development courses will help bridge the gap."K Sivakumar, a govt school headmaster in Coimbatore, said the Naan Mudhalvan courses offer students exposure to various fields, including IT, business management, media, languages, and personality development.For Class IX students like R Praveen from Saidapet, the courses provide an early start. "I want to take the video editing course because I like making short films," he said. Kavya S, another Class IX student from Madurai, added, "I plan to explore app development because I want to create my own game someday."
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