Students accept comprehensive learning

Madurai: Classes X to XII students are warming up to learn comprehensively and understand concepts, rather than memorising and reproducing answers, as it will help them score well in competitive exams also. The change, from the earlier blueprint system which encouraged rote learning, also means that it will not be easy to score high marks, which is perhaps good, say teachers. The blueprint system allowed teachers and students to selectively learn or omit portions from textbooks based on the marks they would fetch in the board exams.

From this academic year onwards, Class X state board students are not getting blueprints from this academic year onwards, while Class XI and XII students have not been getting them for two years now. “Any new change introduced will have challenges. Previously, we could ask students to study selectively and still score high marks. Students who were used to the system would find it difficult now at first, however, in case of Class XII students, I’m seeing an improvement this year because this batch who have cleared a similar system in Class XI have got used to it,” said headmaster of a government higher secondary school.

Teachers claim that students can still pass the exams and score up to 50% by studying a minimum portion, which would mean that even late bloomers won’t be left behind. Government school teachers reiterated that stopping blueprints would help students move towards making their presence felt in competitive exams. “Students will get used to it, especially if it is continuously implemented from lower classes. Even from government schools, we’ve seen only those who rely on reading and learning rather than mugging up concepts, to be successful later in life. This way, even government school students can be shaped to have a bright future in the competitive world,” added the head master.

However, the absence of a blueprint have students worried. “It’s like we have to hope and pray for questions to come from a particular chapter or in a particular format and everything is more of luck,” said Aswin K, a Class XII student. Students feel that there is also an increased pressure on them this way especially if they have to also separately prepare for entrance exams.

“Blueprint gives an idea of what kind of question will be asked from which chapter. It does not have to be done away with because it leads to confusion as students won’t know how the question will be framed. Already, I’ve seen how students struggle when they shift from Samacheer to the new syllabus,” pointed out Ramachandran V, who runs a private tuition centre for higher secondary school students. He added that designing question banks and guide books has been difficult without the blueprint. “There won’t be any clarity in such books and instead would only overwhelm students,” said Ramachandran.