Posted: January 14, 2008

Nanotechnology to steer CBSE students in India

(Nanowerk News) While the Nano car of Tatas’ has taken the country by storm, it will be nanotechnology that promises to spur students of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). From April 1, nano-technology will be introduced as an optional subject for Class XI and Class XII students. There are around 12 lakh (one lakh is equal to a hundred thousand) students under CBSE.
“A core committee has been set up to draft the syllabus. The committee is talking to the experts in the field, even from outside India. The committee will be meeting in Dubai very soon and syllabus will be finalised by February 28. After that, it will take six to seven months to form textual material,” CBSE chairman Ashok Ganguly told The Indian Express on Sunday. He was in Pune to attend the 36th conference of chairpersons, secretaries and officers of various State Boards of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. He is also president of the conference.
CBSE will also be identifying teachers to teach nanotechnology. “Once the text of the syllabus is ready, the teachers will undergo a training programme. We are planning to start the training from December,” he said. Terming it a need of the hour, he said: “Students should not lag behind in getting latest knowledge and for that new skills are to be acquired. In coming years, nano-technology will be a major field for research and will also be applicable in so many fields. If a student can get a chance to learn the basics at the early stages, it will benefit him to choose a path of his career.”
CBSE is also seeking support from the industry to design the syllabus of its vocational subjects. In fact, CBSE has collaborated with the National Stock Exchange for the joint certificate programme in financial market management. For Information Technology, it has tied up with NASSCOM, while it has roped in with NIFT to design the syllabus of fashion designing course.
“We have also introduced other vocational subjects like web technology, biotechnology, multimedia and creative writing which are relevant with modern times. We are taking a frontline curriculum approach, which will ultimately benefit the students,” he said.
Source: Express India