School Education and Literacy Minister BC Nagesh said that a decision has been made to have some sort of evaluation at the juncture point of school education, namely Class V and Class VIII, however, details are still under discussion. Following a meeting with education officers across the state, he said that the department is in agreement that evaluations must be conducted. 

“This has been in discussion for a few months, as in review meetings, officials have highlighted that students in Class IX are unable to do basic Math, which has caused concern. However, this evaluation will not detain any students, instead, we will ensure that the student is given additional coaching to make sure they improve,” he told TNIE. He said that further details will need to be discussed like curriculum and paper patterns.

Meanwhile, the minister also discussed the progress of the Kalika Chetharike programme with all district-level education officers. He said that almost all Deputy Directors of Public Instruction (DDPIs) have reported positive results. “As per our meeting, we have had an overall positive response. The DDPIs report that the students are enjoying the programme and that an overall improvement has occurred,” he said. He also mentioned that another meeting will be held to review the programme’s progress in December.