Literacy shocker in Kerala schools

Thiruvananthapuram: The State Council for Education Research and Training (SCERT) in its study report has found that nearly half the students in schools in the state lacked writing and reading skills.

The SCERT has kept under wraps as the council fears the  repercussions it may have on the general education sector, which has been buffeted by controversies.

Strangely, the study, based on a survey coordinated by SCERT Research officer Sobha Jacob, among 2,400 students in various schools across five districts in the state, was commissioned by Accountant General’s Office.

The study found that 47.52 percent of the students in fourth standard were unable to answer even simple questions in Malayalam while 25 percent fared abysmally low in English;  63 percent of students were poor in mathematics and 73 percent had a poor grasp of environmental sciences.

In the seventh standard, 35 percent students were backward in Malayalam. Of them, five percent could not even write Malayalam letters; 30 percent students were found to be backward in English and of them 2.95 percent students could not  write the alphabets.

As much as 38 percent students in seventh standard were poor in writing skills in Malayalam while 55 percent students were backward in English reading skills.

All India Save Education Committee state secretary M Shajer Khan told Deccan Chronicle that the SCERT study pointed towards a need for developing an International standard curriculum which would be applicable for all the streams like state, CBSE and ICSE.