The Tamil Nadu School Education Department instructed headmasters at government higher secondary schools to assist Class XII students in selecting three courses for higher studies on the Naan Mudhalvan portal, with the goal of tracking their progress post-graduation.
K Elambahavath, the Samagra Shiksha State Project Director, issued a circular stating that headmasters must educate Class XII students at the Computer Science lab about the goals and benefits of the Naan Mudhalvan scheme using video links provided by the school education department, as reported by TNIE. After providing this information, students should be instructed to select three courses of their choice for higher studies on the portal.
As per the circular issued by K Elambahavath, students who wish to take competitive exams such as NEET and JEE should select the entrance exam column on the portal. He also instructed headmasters to ensure that all student information is uploaded to the portal by January 18th to 23rd. To monitor this process, lecturers from the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) and class teachers who have received training in career guidance have been appointed and will be supervised by the Chief Educational Officers.
A postgraduate teacher K Vincent (name changed), coordinator of the Naan Mudhalvan scheme at his school, in Coimbatore told TNIE, "Officers may use these details as a survey for tracking Class XII students' higher studies. Then, officers in the Naan Mudhalvan scheme can know details such as which courses they want to study and, whether there is sufficient awareness regarding higher education courses and entrance exams among the students. Depending on that, the officers may take important decisions regarding students' education in the future."
N Tamilselvan, the District Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Post Graduate Teacher Association, praised the move in a statement to TNIE, saying, "In reality, most students are unaware that exam marks and economic situation will decide their higher studies. But this attempt will help to monitor students' higher studies, particularly rural students." He added that if students drop out of higher studies, officials can track them and redirect them back to higher education.
