07 October 2025

TV to textbooks: A brief insight

I have been viewing Makkal TV Channel for many years since it's beginning. I think that it is one of the best channels for edutainment. 

This afternoon I had the pleasure of viewing one science program in which an entrepreneur explains how to make a simple home made electric generator using very easily available household materials. This program is telecast in episodes with the title "Soo".

Following image is a screenshot of one of the episodes:


This program reminds me of 'UNESCO Sourcebook for Science Teaching' published several years ago by UNESCO; it used to serve as an excellent source of information. I think that NCERT publishef the local exitions of the book. Cenrral and State Governments took efforts to distribue this book  in all Government  Schools. 

I remember how I and my students were benefited from the book's contents. 


UK based English Language Book Society ((ELBS) used to publish low cost editions of University Level textbooks in different subjects; these were easily available in India. 

Delhi based S Chand Publishing used to publish excellent textbooks at the BSc Degree Course level; I have used their 'Textbook of Optics' by Shree Brijlal and Shree Subhramanyam, among others. These books helped our understanding of textbook concepts easily.


In those days, there was only one problem: there was no teacher development magazines until Orient Longmans began publishing 'Teacher Plus'. Recently Teacher Plus replaced it's print version by online version. I personally feel that print version should not have been stopped.

I tried to share Makkal TV's programme in this post, but in vain. I think that MAKKAL TV has banned this option to prevent misuse by evil people.



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About Me

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Chennai, Tamilnadu, India
I am a retired K-12 Education Management Professional. I have worked at different levels in K-12 school systems, textbook publishing, elearning and Education NGOs. I have held memberships in The Association for Science Education (UK), American Association of Physics Teachers and The Malaysian Institute of Physics. I hold a 1st class B Sc Degree in Physics followed by B Ed [English and Physical Science] and M A [Childcare and Education] degrees. My published works include 59 articles in teacher development magazines in India and the US and a book entitled `Creative Classrooms and Child Friendly Schools' (listed in Amazon). This book is almost an anecdotal account of my professional experience in six countries (including Cambodia where I worked as Technical Adviser to the Ministry of Education, Youth And Sports). I served as mentor in the Certificate of Teaching Mastery Program offered by Teachers Without Borders.