Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Aug 21: State minister for education, S Suresh Kumar, released Kannada versions of PCMB texts for second PU, at the auditorium of the PU department here on Thursday August 20. He said that the much-expected Kannada version of PCMB texts of PUC prepared by NESRTC will come in handy for the students as well as the teachers.

He observed that the PCMB textbooks under CBSE syllabus in science section of PU education were in English so far. These NESRTC books have been translated for the first time in Kannada in order to facilitate the students studying in Kannada medium, he explained. He termed this is an important effort made by the department to help students who get admission into science subjects in PUC. He observed that only arts students used to appear for examinations in Kannada medium as PCMB students had only English text books. He said that henceforth, these students can take the examinations in Kannada, and that these books will help the lecturers to teach in Kannada.

"In this competitive world where competitive examinations and entrance tests are held, our children have to compete with children from all other parts of the country. In order to help the students to appear for common entrance test as well as national level competitive examinations like JEE and NEET, we have changed the curriculum to match with the ones prevalent in central schools and colleges. As our students have an opportunity to compete equally with students from other states, we had adopted CBSE curriculum for PCMB in PUC, he stated.

He noted that students who passed SSLC in Kannada medium faced trouble when they came to PUC as the texts were in Kannada. Even though an effort to translate the books were made since 2015, they had not succeeded so far, he narrated. To overcome the difficulty, four different committees were formulated for physics, chemistry, maths and biology subjects and the work was completed, he said. A set of books each will be provided free of cost to the libraries of 650 PU colleges in the state.

Arrangements to sell these books at the government printing press for the libraries of aided and unaided colleges and other interested people, have been made.

As competitive examinations including NEET are also held in Kannada medium, the students will find them handy, he added. He explained that teaching under PCMB will be in English but students will have an option to appear both in Kannada and English languages, he said.