Reintroduce blueprint model to improve results: Academicians

Coimbatore: The blueprint model should be reintroduced to reduce failures in state board examination and bring down dropout rate in government and government-aided schools, say academicians.
It will mainly benefit those, whose academic performance is below average, says T Arulanandham, vice-president of Tamil Nadu High and Higher Secondary Schools Graduate Teachers Association (TNHHSSGTA).
“Under the blueprint model, students would have an idea about what to study for the exam and the questions that would be asked. However, after the model was withdrawn five years ago, students would not know the pattern of questions. While bright students score high marks irrespective of the question model, below-average kids would fail,” Arulanandham says.
For below-average students, getting pass mark in a subject matters a lot, because it would determine their future, says P Kavitha, a teacher. “During the blueprint model days, the ‘match the following’ question type in the Social Science would be taught to them if the blueprint had it, saving the time for students and teachers as well. But now, they have to be taught that even if it was not asked.”
“Students used to score a lot of centums in Social Science in the blueprint model, but now it has become difficult,” she adds.
Most of the students of government and government-aided schools hail from the poorest backgrounds, says Arulanandham. “If they fail, they would discontinue education and find some job to help their families. The government should consider reintroducing the blueprint model for those students.”