TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Headmasters from all across Goa Friday urged the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education to adopt the CBSE pattern of scheduling terms to facilitate better coverage of the syllabus during the academic year.
The heads of school institutions raised the issue at a meeting of the Goa Headmasters Association (GHA) where GBSHSE Chairman J R Rebello was invited to interact with GHA members on Board related issues.
Headmasters said that under the present pattern which is being implemented this year, students of Class X are at the receiving end and are likely to be under pressure following lesser days to cover the syllabus due to early scheduling of exams by the Board.
The term especially for the new batch of Class X students next year should begin as soon as the SSC exams of 2013-14 conclude, by March 18, as SSC exams will end by March 15, 2014.
They also raised several queries on the CCE pattern for internal assessment at school level and agreed with the Goa Board about allowing students an opportunity for a re-test to obtain minimum level of learning in those cases where students are not successful in achieving at least 33 per cent percent in the formative CCE testing.
The subject of environment education, now introduced in the curriculum of social sciences and Science was also discussed. The Goa Board also endorsed the new pattern where the environment component will get 20 per cent weightage.
Apart from discussions on academic issues, the heads of institutions Friday also brought up other issues pertaining to administration and infrastructure.
The GHA was asked the government to allot maintenance grants for Bal Rath buses, and for computer laboratories, since computer labs had closed down due to non functioning of computers.
The non-availability of grounds for sports activities was also raised by the headmasters who agreed to work, with Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs and the Sports Authority of Goa, towards a solution.
GHA President Fr Dominic Savio Fernandes assured the heads of institutions that issues raised would be taken forward by the GHA and placed before the government for suitable solutions in the interest of the institutions and students.
The headmasters also agreed to adopt creative teaching and learning methods, hold workshops to ensure that their students and teachers perform well. Recommendations made by certain academics during the deliberations were accepted by GHA.
