Kanavu Asiriyar contest to hone teachers’ skills

The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) is set to conduct the ‘Kanavu Asiriyar Contest 2023’ for government and aided school teachers in a bid to hone their teaching skills and increase awareness on the current developments in their respective subjects. The three-level contest will start on April 1. Teachers who perform well are also expected to be taken to foreign countries at the end of the academic year to learn more about their field.

Through the examination, the subject pedagogic knowledge and skill of the teachers will be assessed. “The first test will be for 40 minutes. Knowledge of the teachers in their subject, their engagement and personalised attention in the classroom will be tested. The ability of the teachers to take the subject to a diverse range of students will also be assessed. All teachers, including secondary grade teachers, BT assistants, and postgraduate teachers, are eligible to participate in the contest and can register through the Education Management Information System (EMIS) application,” said a school education department official. Teachers can take the first test on their own computers. They will be evaluated on their verbal communication skills, subject knowledge, translation abilities, classroom management and communication skills, their ability to utilise sensitive language, expression and structural clarity and their proper use of syntax and semantics at the further levels. A detailed syllabus will be uploaded in the EMIS application 48 hours before the examination, added the official.

While some teachers are applying for the contests, many said they are already overburdened with work. “Despite having good subject knowledge and teaching skills, some teachers may miss out on participating in the contest due to their heavy workload, which includes working for various schemes such as Ennum Ezhuthum,” said a teacher working in Chengalpattu on condition of anonymity.