In a bid to impart IT skills at a young age,the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) has recommended that IT be made a compulsory subject,carrying 50 marks,for SSC students from class 5. This is among the suggestions made in the draft of the state curriculum framework,which is along the lines of the national curriculum framework. The process of incorporating suggestions from educationists,teachers,students and parents is on and is expected to be over by November end. The framework aims at making education relevant to the present times. The framework stresses relevant education. These days,acquiring basic IT skills is a necessity,hence the decision to incorporate it from class 5, said Rekha Palshikar,member of the coordination committee that prepared the draft. She said the subject would be part of the work experience syllabus that carries 100 marks. From class 5,work experience has been made compulsory. In this,IT skills will comprise 50 marks. It will be compulsory. Students will choose another subject from others including performing arts, she said. Many schools in the city have computer education as an optional subject,taught as per availability of teachers and computers. However,according to Palshikar,the introduction of IT skills as an independent subject will result in a focused approach. A board of studies comprising IT experts will be set up to form the syllabus that will decide the content, she said. CEO of Global Talent Track Uma Ganesh welcomed the move. Making IT an integral part of the syllabus will be a great move as accessibility to computers at a young age has increased. However,the curriculum should not only teach how to use computers but also help develop imaginative powers and analytical thinking of students. IT companies these days find 25 to 30 per cent engineering graduates unemployable as they lack fundamental skills that should be built up at the school level, said Ganesh. Suneeta Sharma,principal,Abhinav Education Societys English Medium School in Ambegaon Budruk,said introduction of technology at the right age is the need of the hour. We have already introduced computer education from class 1. But even as we pay heed to importance of students getting a feel of technology,we also introduce them to limitations of technology,which is as necessary. she added.
