The Hindu 09.07.2013
AIF to assist Corpn. schools to improve performance in examinations
As many as 300 students in Class X to be covered in the pilot project
The American Indian Foundation (AIF), a non-profit organisation that is implementing a ‘Digital Equaliser’ (DE) Programme in Coimbatore Corporation Schools, has been roped in to help the Corporation school students improve their performance in Class X board examinations.
Addressing a meeting of Corporation school headmasters here on Monday, Corporation Commissioner G. Latha said that the foundation could help the schools and provide training to Class X students who secure last five ranks. This training would cover a total of 300 students.
The objective should be to increase the pass percentage in Class X board examinations from 90 per cent last time to cent per cent. Such initiatives cannot succeed without the cooperation of the school teachers, she added.
V. Alexander, zonal coordinator (DE programme) of foundation, said that these students would be covered under a pilot project, ‘Bright Brain Classroom.’
Under this, he said that students would be trained in developing concentration and mind power. It would teach them an easy way of understanding academic concepts and help create interest in the subjects. The training would also focus on increasing these students’ intelligence quotient and help them overcome distraction, he added.
Speaking later, Mayor S.M. Velusamy said that the initiative’s objective was to bring the quality of Corporation schools on a par or even better than private schools.
Digital story telling
Earlier, Corporation school students who had undergone summer training in digital story telling gave a presentation on their projects.
While two Class X students from the Corporation Girls Higher Secondary School, Ranganathapuram - M.Vidya Priya and B. Deepashree – gave a presentation on unhygienic conditions of food preparation in roadside shops, another two Class X students from the Corporation Higher Secondary School, Peelamedu - S. Logesh and A. Durga Prasanth – gave a video presentation on water conservation and how to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases. The best projects were given awards during the meeting.
Cash award
a team from the Corporation Higher Secondary School, North Coimbatore, has won a cash award of RS. 20,000 in the fifth edition of the annual student DE content, which is conducted at the national level by the AIF.
The team, comprising eight students from classes VI to IX, had prepared an herbal garden project and researched on areas such as the quantity of red soil, fertilisers, herbal seeds and irrigation system required for the garden.
The Coimbatore students’ projects were evaluated by the teachers of the Chennai Corporation School. It had shared the first place with another school from Chennai. A total of 46 Corporation schools in Tamil Nadu had taken part. Around 1,500 Corporation/Government schools had taken part in the event nationally.
