Students greeted by a light first day

CHENNAI: Several city schools taught only Maths and English on Wednesday as schools reopened after the summer vacation. “As it was the first day, hardly anything was taught,” said Divya, a Class IV student in a Saidapet private school.In Presidency Girls Higher Secondary School, Egmore, only grammar and maths tables were taught in primary classes. A teacher of St Paul’s Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Vyasarpadi, said the first day was “light”, and a consensus was arrived at on topics that could be covered in the different subjects until the textbooks reached the school. A Hindi teacher of a primary school in Alwarpet said teachers were explaining science formulae and grammar. A teacher from a matriculation school in North Chennai expressed ignorance over the State school education department’s announcement to introduce practical classes, and said teachers were not briefed about it.School Education Minister C Ve Shanmugam told Express that USE textbooks for Class I and VI had been dispatched to all educational centres across the State, and would reach the schools in a few days as the department was awaiting an official copy of the Supreme Court order on the issue. On practical classes introduced this year, a simple curriculum had been framed and would reach schools in a day’s time, he clarified.