Class X maths book replete with errors

mangalore@coastaldigest.com (DHNS)

June 15, 2014

Class X Bangalore, Jun 15: The precision associated with mathematics is not a virtue of the new Class X mathematics textbook of State Syllabus.

Almost every chapter in the new textbook is riddled with errors. Mathematics teachers and officials in the State Education Department have spotted these mistakes. The revised textbook, which is supposed to conform to CBSE standards, has already been distributed to students across the State.

Mohammed Mohsin, Commissioner, Department of Public Instruction that he has received complaints regarding these errors. “The Textbook Society has given a brief review on the mistakes spotted. A senior person from the Maths Textbook Framing Committee has been asked to look into them. Based on the errors that have been spotted, we will issue a corrigendum to schools,” he said.

Sources in the State Education Department raised doubts about the efficiency of the officials monitoring the textbook. They also said there is a shortage of officials in the Directorate of Secondary Education and Research Training to screen the textbooks.

Pointing out that there are around 300 errors in the revised textbook, J?K?Gangadhar Rao, senior mathematics teacher at Bangalore Higher Secondary School, told Deccan Herald: “We have found mistakes in many chapters. There is also lot of unnecessary information that leads to confusion.”

Going into the specifics of inaccuracies, Rao pointed out that in the first chapter of geometry, in exercise 10.1, there are three problems that cannot be solved. In one problem, wherein students are asked to find the value of “xy”, finding the value of “x” is not possible. Also, in the same exercise, there is a problem involving a 6-cm ladder. That is too small a measurement to be considered, he said.

The maximum number of errors, teachers claim, are in the geometry section. “In the very first chapter itself, there are a few mistakes,” said Malathi, a mathematics teacher from a private school in the City.

Moreover, teachers also claim there is not enough clarity in the concepts given. “Similar problems were encountered in the Class IX textbook. Sometimes, it leaves us wondering whether we have understood the concepts properly,” she said.

Nagasimha G?Rao, a child rights activist, said he had received several calls in this regard. “The suggested changes would be sent to the authorities concerned after other subject textbooks are screened as well. We have teachers calling us and saying they are finding it tough to cope with the new syllabus. Sometimes, a situation might arise where they cannot even be vocal about it,” he said.

Rao also said there was a need to follow procedures while introducing a new textbook.

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The Shepherds' International Academy Reduces School Fees by 50%

Media Release

July 12,2020

Mangaluru: COVID-19 has disrupted the traditional academic year. Due to the on-going pandemic situation and the financial crisis, the management of The Shepherds' International Academy, Mangalore (TSIA) has decided to reduce the annual school fees by 50% for the academic year 2020-21.

In a media release, TSIA correspondent stated that even though the school hasn't met the regular operating expenses, the management's decision is for the benefit of the communities.

The correspondent also informed that TSIA will start online classes on receipt of the official nod from the Govt. Educational department.

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St Agnes College takes classroom learning to adopted villages

Media Release

June 12,2020

Mangaluru: Agnes Towards Community (ATC) is a five-year old project of social responsibility undertaken by St Agnes College (Autonomous), Mangaluru to give their students a taste for community service before they leave the portals of the College. For this purpose the College has adopted five villages in the vicinity of Mangaluru, namely Harekala, Amblamogaru, Munnuru, Kotekar and Hosabettu. The ATC programmes are undertaken on saturdays wherein all the final year students as guided by their staff members are given hands on experience of community interaction and service. The four saturdays in a month are divided to plan, prepare, execute and evaluate the whole service exercise.

The year 2019-20 saw a major change in the format of the project. The Science and Arts faculty came together with projects based on the syllabus of study and apply it for their service learning activity. This was done with the dual purpose of helping students to learn the topic practically in a real social set up and to identify and render useful scientific based practical solutions to the problems faced by the villagers.

One such problem is water purity. Since water plays an important role in maintaining the human health and welfare, water quality testing is important because it identifies contaminants and prevents water borne diseases. In this regard, Departments of Chemistry and Microbiology took up a project on water analysis. The major objectives of the project were: 1. To provide hands on experience on water analysis, a topic learnt by the students in their course of study. 2. To test the potability of water sources of the villages, so that the scientific and practical solutions can be provided, wherever needed.

The first village chosen for the study was Amblamogaru. The two batches of students (20 students in each batch) were led by Mrs.Prajwal Rao, Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Ms.Smitha, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry. They were assisted by Ms.Hezil Saldanha, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry in carrying out the project.

The water samples from different sources were collected in sterilised glass bottles. The students were enthusiastic in collecting water samples and also interacted with the village folk regarding the availability of drinking water supplies. The students under the guidance of faculty carried out the experiments in water analysis in Chemistry and Microbiology Laboratories at St Agnes College. This included testing for parameters such as pH, conductivity, total hardness and turbidity, presumptive, confirmed and completed Coliform test. From chemical analysis, it is found that all parameters satisfy the standards of potable water. Microbiological analysis showed that the water samples were potable for human consumption (No faecal contamination observed).

The project has been envisaged to help the villagers to have recourse to the information on the results of the tests conducted. The water samples collected for the analysis were found to be potable for human consumption. If the water samples not been found to be potable, the departments had strategized to guide the villagers on useful scientific and practical solutions wherever needed.

This project of Agnes Towards Community (ATC) helped students to go beyond classroom learning, develop practical skills, disseminate knowledge and render service to the community. This activity also provided direct and relevant experiences to the students that deepened and enriched their learning abilities.

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