Tamil Nadu government to tie up with firm of Bill Gates to train teachers

COIMBATORE: The School Education Department has plans to train teachers, in collaboration with a company owned by Bill Gates, to improve teaching methods, said Education Minister K A Sengottaiyan said here on Friday.The department is also taking steps to change State syllabus so that it becomes equal to the CBSE in two years, the minister said at a function held to celebrate the centenary of the Coimbatore Corporation Elementary School at Kalapatti.

On NEET coaching, Sengottaiyan said, “The department is providing coaching to 3,118 students of government schools. A minimum of 1,500 students from Tamil Nadu will get qualified in the examination.”After completing the change in syllabus, the department will sign a memorandum of understanding with the company of Gates.

“We also plan to change the students’ uniform. This will be done step by step. Besides, to create awareness among students about sexual harassment, the matter of dress code would be included in the eighth standard syllabus,” he said.The department will take action against private schools that have failed to implement the 25 per cent reservation for children from economically backward groups, Sengottaiyan added.