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Hindustan Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Maharashtra: SCERT issues revised timetable to introduce third language in primary schools
Mumbai: A day after the Maharashtra government issued a revised government resolution (GR) making a third language compulsory in state-run schools, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) on Thursday released a new daily academic timetable. The revised schedule adjusts teaching hours across subjects to accommodate the third language from Class 1 onwards. As per the circular, the changes are aimed at aligning the total annual instructional hours with the National Curriculum Framework's (NCF's) requirement of 990 academic hours. However, to allot teaching hours for the third language, the SCERT has reduced teaching time for subjects like art education, physical training, and work experience, now renamed as 'work education'. As per the NCF, the third language is also supposed to be taught only from Class 5. The revised timetable has drawn criticism from educationists and school principals, who said that the changes could compromise students' overall learning experience, especially in areas meant to foster creativity and physical development. According to the revised plan, the number of teaching hours for core subjects like the first and second languages and mathematics remains largely in line with NCF recommendations, which are in accordance with the National Education Policy 2020. However, art education, which the NCF suggests should be taught for 144 hours annually, has now been allotted just 81.67 hours under the new SCERT schedule. The SCERT has also, for the first time, provided a sample timetable to help schools plan their academic day. While the sample timetable itself is not mandatory, the subject-wise allocation of teaching hours must be followed. Unlike the NCF's recommendation of 45- to 50-minute periods, the Maharashtra government has opted for shorter 35-minute sessions. However, two consecutive periods may be combined to provide extended time for certain subjects. The SCERT circular clarified that the revised daily schedule, as per the GR dated June 17, will apply to state board schools of all language mediums for class 1 this academic year and then class 2 from next year. Mahendra Ganpule, former spokesperson of the State Principals Association, questioned the logic behind introducing a third language from Class 1. 'Without any clear rationale, the government has introduced a third language from the very beginning of schooling. And now, they've issued a timetable that cuts into the time meant for other important subjects. The NCF doesn't even mandate instructional hours for the third language at the foundational level. Then why is the government insisting on pushing it?' he said. The state's June 17 GR had earlier drawn flak for making Hindi the default third language unless at least 20 students in a class opt for an alternative. Education experts and opposition leaders said it was in effect a backdoor entry of the state's earlier proposal to make Hindi a compulsory language in state board schools.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Time for art & sports cut as teaching hrs revised to bring in third language
Mumbai: To accommodate the inclusion of a third language in the Class I timetable from this academic year, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has revised and reallocated instructional hours across subjects. This is the first such exercise undertaken in the state since 2017. While the number of hours allotted to the first and second languages as well as mathematics are almost similar to the recommendations of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), the state has reduced the time allocated for art and physical education and work experience to make room for the third language. The weekly and annual subject-wise instructional hours will now be binding on all schools. The reallocation of instructional hours comes two days after Maharashtra issued a govt resolution (GR) making a three-language policy mandatory for the state board's Marathi and English medium schools from Class I to V. The GR said Hindi will not be a mandatory third language; students can choose any other Indian language, but a teacher will be available only if there are at least 20 students in class, else the language has to be taught online. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like O aparelho que os idosos descobriram para aliviar dores nos nervos e formigamento. A arte do herbalismo Undo The duration of each session has also been reduced to 35 minutes in the new guidelines, as opposed to 45 mins followed earlier in the state. But two sessions can be clubbed together to give more time to students for the respective subjects, mentioned the circular issued by SCERT on Thursday. The NCF, on the other hand, recommends 45-60 minutes per session. The council, for the first time, has also recommended a sample timetable that can be followed by primary schools. While the timetable can be modified at school level as per their requirement, the weekly and annual instructional hours cannot be reduced by them, mentioned the circular. According to the guidelines, the first and second language have been allocated 306 and 180 hours annually and the third language will be given a little over 100 hours. The national framework does not recommend a third language at Class I level, and therefore, has no provision. Mahendra Ganpule, former head, Maharashtra School Principals' Association, said they are reducing time given to overall development of students in arts, physical education and work experience to accommodate a third language, which is not even recommended in the NCF. In the time in which two languages are to be taught, they will now be teaching three, he added. SCERT will also soon come out with an academic calendar for Class I, for which a new syllabus has been introduced. "The calendar will provide a chapter-wise teaching schedule for the class to help teachers distribute syllabus evenly across the year and avoid last-minute rushes," said director, SCERT, Rahul Rekhawar. He added the timetable has made provision for additional enrichment periods (AEP), a new initiative, to allow teachers to provide extra guidance to students.
Indian Express
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
SCERT releases revised timetable structure for Class 1 to accomodate third language
The State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) on Thursday released a revised timetable structure for Class 1 to accommodate a third language. This came a day after the Maharashtra government issued a revised Government Resolution (GR) stating that Hindi will be taught as the third language in Marathi and English medium schools across the state for Classes 1 to 5. With the new timetable, the stipulated minutes to be spent on each subject have been reduced, creating a major gap from what is recommended under National Curriculum Framework (NCF). The document released by SCERT, adds a third language to Classes 1 and 2 formally, as until now, the only official document in this regard, which is State Curriculum Framework-Foundation Stage (FS), recommended only two languages for these classes, as per NCF. 'The changes will be applicable to Class 1 from academic year 2025-26. Whereas for Class 2, these changes will be applied after the introduction of the new syllabus and curriculum as per the SCF,' states the document released by SCERT Director Rahul Rekhawar. Even as the NCF-recommended timetable structure suggests 50 to 60 minutes spent on each subject, the state's revised timetable structure reduced it to 35 minutes. 'This was bound to happen as the NCF-FS includes only seven subjects, whereas the state has added one more subject by introducing a third language from Class 1. To accommodate the additional subject, time spent on all other subjects has been reduced,' said Mahendra Ganpule, former head of the Maharashtra School Principals Association. The note released by SCERT also provides a sample timetable. It states 'Schools can design their own timetable, based on their timings. But they will have to stick to the stipulated time mandate per subject.' According to schools, this announcement has come very late as schools have already started and structuring the timetable is finalised way before that. 'Now that we are almost a week into the new academic year, a new timetable guideline has been issued. Schools have already started with the timetable structure issued in the past in the SCF-FS, which does not include a third language for Class 1,' said a senior teacher. Schools have also complained that the government has included a new subject into the timetable structure for Class 1, without clarity on teachers to teach the third language, alternatives to Hindi, and curriculum guidelines.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Book publisher S Chand expects Rs 800 crore revenue in FY26; partners Google Lens
S Chand, a leading textbook publisher and education content provider, is aiming to cross Rs 800 crore revenue in the current fiscal, supported by its core business growth and digital initiatives, its CFO Saurabh Mittal said on Tuesday. Internet giant Google has partnered with this 86-year-old publishing house to integrate its Google Lens with school textbooks for interactive learning tools , ensuring that students can access explanations, translations and problem-solving assistance. The initiative, in which students by scanning textbooks can access explanations and engaging video lessons, has already been integrated into over 300 textbook titles of S Chand, reaching over 5 million copies in print. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Container Houses Vietnam (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search Ads Search Now Besides working on the digital side, S Chand, with its internal available cash, is also scouting for acquisitions to fill in the gaps in its offering, whether it is the test preparation section or international curriculum, he said. "We have enough cash within our system, ensuring we can go for acquisitions. So, we are looking at a few opportunities. We will probably announce it in the next six months," Mittal told PTI. Live Events S Chand, which completed the acquisition of Chhaya Prakashani in December 2019-20, has not made any acquisitions in the last six years. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories "But this is what we are stepping out to do more. We have, in between, done a lot of edtech investments , in some of them we have already exited," he said. According to Mittal, S Chand's 85 per cent of revenue comes from textbook sections, and the rest is from digital initiatives and others. S Chand's revenue was Rs 732.7 crore for the financial year ended March 2024. "For this financial year, we have given guidance of Rs 800 crore," he said. According to Mittal, the last 2-3 years have been busy with the rollout of NCF (National Curriculum Framework), which provides guidelines for developing and implementing the school curriculum in India. "Focus for us is to ensure that at least all the user schools go on to the new NCF curriculum in the next two years. But that rollout is slow; hopefully, by the end of this year, most of the books will have been printed by NCERT," he said. In NCF, the publisher has to ensure that books as aligned with NCERT, Mittal said. "That was the focus in the last two, three years. Now going forward, we have multiple things. Wherever we see gaps in our system, we are trying to fill it, either internally or through acquisitions," he added. According to Mittal, post-COVID, there are changes in teaching and learning, especially nine to twelve class segment. It has also enhanced its presence on channels like YouTube. "...a lot of children are moving on to YouTube to grab concepts. So, we have also added simulations. We also added a lot of videos to our book so that at least they get authentic content," he said, adding that these are now part of the books. S Chand also has an app 'My StudyGear', where it is increasing its content. Its partnership with Google will help many students who lack access to tutors or additional resources, making it challenging to grasp complex concepts, solve intricate equations, or bridge language barriers. "This integration with Google Lens directly addresses these gaps by turning textbooks into interactive learning tools, ensuring that students can easily access explanations, translations, and problem-solving assistance," said an S Chand statement. Here, a student, by simply scanning his textbooks, can unlock a range of interactive features, access to explanations and engaging video lessons for subjects like Mathematics, History, Chemistry, Biology, and Physics, with access to relevant videos to better help students grasp challenging concepts. They will also get step-by-step solutions for mathematical problems, including complex equations and concepts, to help clarify and simplify problem-solving by showing the underlying methodology.
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Book publisher S Chand targets ₹800 cr FY26 revenue, partners Google Lens
S Chand, a leading textbook publisher and education content provider, is aiming to cross Rs 800 crore revenue in the current fiscal, supported by its core business growth and digital initiatives, its CFO Saurabh Mittal said on Tuesday. Internet giant Google has partnered with this 86-year-old publishing house to integrate its Google Lens with school textbooks for interactive learning tools, ensuring that students can access explanations, translations and problem-solving assistance. The initiative, in which students by scanning textbooks can access explanations and engaging video lessons, has already been integrated into over 300 textbook titles of S Chand, reaching over 5 million copies in print. Besides working on the digital side, S Chand, with its internal available cash, is also scouting for acquisitions to fill in the gaps in its offering, whether it is the test preparation section or international curriculum, he said. "We have enough cash within our system, ensuring we can go for acquisitions. So, we are looking at a few opportunities. We will probably announce it in the next six months," Mittal told PTI. S Chand, which completed the acquisition of Chhaya Prakashani in December 2019-20, has not made any acquisitions in the last six years. "But this is what we are stepping out to do more. We have, in between, done a lot of edtech investments, in some of them we have already exited," he said. According to Mittal, S Chand's 85 per cent of revenue comes from textbook sections, and the rest is from digital initiatives and others. S Chand's revenue was Rs 732.7 crore for the financial year ended March 2024. "For this financial year, we have given guidance of Rs 800 crore," he said. According to Mittal, the last 2-3 years have been busy with the rollout of NCF (National Curriculum Framework), which provides guidelines for developing and implementing the school curriculum in India. "Focus for us is to ensure that at least all the user schools go on to the new NCF curriculum in the next two years. But that rollout is slow; hopefully, by the end of this year, most of the books will have been printed by NCERT," he said. In NCF, the publisher has to ensure that books as aligned with NCERT, Mittal said. "That was the focus in the last two, three years. Now going forward, we have multiple things. Wherever we see gaps in our system, we are trying to fill it, either internally or through acquisitions," he added. According to Mittal, post-COVID, there are changes in teaching and learning, especially nine to twelve class segment. It has also enhanced its presence on channels like YouTube. "...a lot of children are moving on to YouTube to grab concepts. So, we have also added simulations. We also added a lot of videos to our book so that at least they get authentic content," he said, adding that these are now part of the books. S Chand also has an app 'My StudyGear', where it is increasing its content. Its partnership with Google will help many students who lack access to tutors or additional resources, making it challenging to grasp complex concepts, solve intricate equations, or bridge language barriers. "This integration with Google Lens directly addresses these gaps by turning textbooks into interactive learning tools, ensuring that students can easily access explanations, translations, and problem-solving assistance," said an S Chand statement. Here, a student, by simply scanning his textbooks, can unlock a range of interactive features, access to explanations and engaging video lessons for subjects like Mathematics, History, Chemistry, Biology, and Physics, with access to relevant videos to better help students grasp challenging concepts. They will also get step-by-step solutions for mathematical problems, including complex equations and concepts, to help clarify and simplify problem-solving by showing the underlying methodology.
