Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Limited access, a sore note in computer education

— Photo: R.RAGU

Best use: Popularity of computer education remains high among Plus-Two students.

CHENNAI: Computer science stream may be popular in Plus-Two, but this has not made matters easy for the students, particularly in government and aided schools.

Limited access to computer labs, complex syllabus, late introduction to the subject and burden of administrative work on teachers, are some of the issues students and computer science teachers point to.

“I chose the computer science stream so that I can learn to use the computer, but I have not entered the lab in our school even once since the academic year began,” says S. Kala, a Class XI student of a government-aided school in T. Nagar.

Access to the computers in the labs in many government and aided schools seems limited to the computer science students in Class XII. In most cases, infrastructure does not seem to be the issue.

“The department gave us 10 new computers this year. They are high end models,” said the headmaster of a government higher secondary school, admitting that the first preference in usage of the lab was always given to Class XII students.

One reason for this is the syllabus itself. Volume I of the Class XI textbook is entirely theory, covering aspects such as history of computers, number systems and operating systems. These chapters offer hardly any scope for practical sessions.

The extensive theory cannot be done away with because those chapters cover the basics of computer science. “These are very important for a student who has never used a computer,” R. Ramesh, computer science teacher at Hindu Higher Secondary School, said.

“We have now progressed to the second volume of the textbook and our Class XI students also frequent the labs to understand the practical elements,” he said.

While most private schools introduce computer science in middle school, government and aided schools introduce the subject only in Plus-Two.

Introducing the subject in middle school will aid decision-making once candidates complete Class X, besides preparing them for higher learning.

In Class XII, students suddenly jump to C++, a computer language that is taught in college. Moreover, the syllabus is common to science and commerce students.

Commerce students have to study portions of electronics.

Something on tally accounting will be more relevant to their stream, a section of teachers noted.

Another problem that computer science teachers face is the burden of administrative work.

“Whether it is data entry or compilation of particulars on the computers, we are immediately summoned. If the District Education Officer (DEO) wants details about schools in the zone, again it is the computer science teachers who have to step in. Why can’t administrative staff trained in computers be appointed for such clerical work,” he asked.

“Your physics or chemistry teacher does not have this pressure, it is only us. But when we don’t produce results, they will pull us up,” said another teacher of an aided school, on condition of anonymity.

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