COIMBATORE: The Tamil Nadu BEd Computer Science Unemployed Graduate Teachers Association has urged the state govt to introduce computer science as a separate subject from classes VI to X in govt schools and appoint qualified teachers. Association state general secretary V Kumaresan said central funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme are meant for setting up ICT (Information and Communications Technology) labs, appointing instructors and providing electricity and internet facilities. According to him, hi-tech labs were set up in govt schools in the state in 2024 by a private firm. He alleged that volunteers from the Illam Thedi Kalvi scheme had been appointed as lab administrators and instructors. He said these appointees were largely used for EMIS (Education Management Information System) and UDISE (Unified District Information System for Education) data entry and they lacked the qualifications required to teach computer science. According to him, computer science is not taught as a standalone subject for classes VI to X in Tamil Nadu govt schools, with computer topics limited to a short section in the science textbook.Kumaresan said private schools introduce computer science in Class I, while govt school students typically get access only in Class XI. He added that some other states have introduced ICT as a separate subject starting in Class VI.The association demanded separate textbooks and dedicated periods for computer science from Class VI onwards. It asked the govt to ensure proper use of central funds for labs and for hiring qualified computer science teachers. Kumarasen said nearly 60,000 BEd-qualified computer science graduates in the state were unemployed. “They should be recruited directly instead of filling instructor posts through private agencies,” he added.The association opposed training mathematics and science teachers for two days under the TN SPARK scheme to teach basic computer science and artificial intelligence.
