Students who have been promoted to classes 9 to 12 this year will have to undergo a three-week bridge course. This is introduced by Tamil Nadu State Council for Education Research and Training (TN SCERT) to fill the learning gaps in students as the schools have been shut and students have been promoted without exams due to the pandemic. The decision has been taken ahead of the reopening of schools from September 1.

The TN SCERT has already prepared the syllabus for the 3-week bridge course. These courses will cover basic concepts for the students which they have already learned earlier. The lessons that have been taught by teachers online will also be included in this course.

A senior academician with the SCERT who was part of the content team of the bridge course informed IANS that this course will help teachers in teaching all the topics again. He also mentioned that the bridge course will focus on writing skills, reading skills, and grammar. He is quoted by the agency as saying, “Refresher course for class 9 will contain basic concepts that the students have learned in classes 6 to 8. This is to help teachers in teaching all the topics again.” The 3-week bridge course will only be beneficial for the students who attend physical classes from September 1.

Ullaskumar, a Physics teacher at a Government school in Kancheepuram, told the agency that all these efforts will go in vain if students don’t attend schools after reopening on September 1. He added that the students can be exempted from attending schools only on a case to case basis and not as a general rule.

While state schools are expected to re-open from September 1, the school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyymozhi will take the final decision after having a meeting with the Chief Educational Officers of Tamil Nadu in August 19. At present, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is reported at 20, 458.

Meanwhile, several states have resumed physical classes in schools with a decrease in COVID-19 cases. The states have announced to resume physical classes with 50% capacity.

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here