Urgent safety audit in schools across Kerala after Karthikappally roof collapse incident: Edu Min Sivankutty
Minister for General Education V Sivankutty announced the decision while addressing the media on Monday morning in Palakkad. He confirmed that a time-bound action plan will be formulated to ensure student safety.
'As part of conducting the audit, a high-level meeting of department officials will be convened on Tuesday (July 22) at 9.30 am at the Shiksha Sadan, Thiruvananthapuram. The meeting, chaired by the Minister, will be attended by senior officials including Deputy Directors of Education, Regional and Assistant Directors, DIET Principals, District Educational Officers (DEOs), Assistant Educational Officers (AEOs), District Project Officers, KITE District Coordinators, and Vidyakiranam Coordinators,' the minister said.
The meeting will review the progress of directives issued through the circular released on May 13, 2025, which detailed preparatory steps for reopening schools. Based on this, a new state-wide school inspection schedule has been planned.
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New Indian Express
a day ago
- New Indian Express
Minister V Sivankutty mulls U-shaped seating to do away with ‘backbencher' tag
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As part of doing away with the concept of 'backbenchers', the government is considering a proposal to change the seating arrangement in school classrooms from the conventional rows to a U-shape model. The proposal, announced by General Education Minister V Sivankutty through a Facebook post, came a week after he kick-started a public debate on changing the academic year-end vacation from April-May to June-July. The minister pointed out that being branded a 'backbencher' could impact a student's confidence and learning. 'No child should be left behind,' he said, adding that equal opportunities should be ensured for all children. He added that a committee of experts will be constituted to suggest the best seating pattern suitable for the state's education system. A final decision will be taken after examining the committee's report, he said. The minister's proposal is based on an idea from a Malayalam film 'Sthanarthi Sreekuttan' in which a school student proposes a change in the conventional seating pattern after being humiliated for being a 'backbencher' in the class. A few states have already implemented the semi-circular seating arrangement, drawing inspiration from the movie. A section of academics has welcomed the proposal as it would enable the teacher to give equal attention to all students. J Prasad, former director of the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) , said the semi-circular seating arrangement has already been informally implemented in schools where classrooms have been built according to the latest infrastructure standards. 'Such a seating arrangement ensures that teachers have direct eye contact, proximity towards the student and two-way engagement, making the classroom sessions more vibrant,' Prasad said.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Kerala education dept's new quest: Classrooms with no backbenchers
The Kerala education department is considering replacing the traditional row-based seating layout in classrooms, in a move aimed at eliminating 'backbenchers'. Education Minister V Sivankutty on Tuesday said the government is looking to ensure that classroom layouts do not contribute to disparities among students. 'We want to avoid the concept of backbenchers in our classrooms. The backbencher concept might adversely affect a student's confidence. Our policy is to ensure equal opportunities for all students and no student should fall behind in studies or life,' he wrote in a Facebook post. Sivankutty said the government would form an expert committee to study models adopted in other countries to dismantle hierarchical seating and recommend the most suitable approach for Kerala. 'Various countries are following different models to do away with the concept of backbenchers. We have decided to appoint an expert committee to find the best model,' he added, urging public support for the initiative. The move builds on changes already being experimented with in schools across the state. A few institutions in Kannur, Thrissur, and Kollam districts have introduced a horseshoe or U-shaped seating arrangement. In this model, students sit along the perimeter of the classroom, facing each other, allowing the teacher to engage with all students equally while moving around the centre. The shift in layout has been partly inspired by popular culture. The recently released Malayalam film Sthanarthi Sreekuttan (2024), directed by Vinesh Viswanathan, follows the story of a backbencher who rebels against the traditional classroom structure. In the film's climax, the old row-based layout is replaced with a U-shaped seating plan. 'We had an enormous response after we tried the U-shaped plan' The RCC lower primary school at East Mangad, Erumapetty in Thrissur district was one of the first schools in Kerala to introduce a new seating arrangement in classrooms. Headmistress Liji C R said, 'From the outset of this academic year, there have been informal discussions about improving the learning standards of students. Some of the teachers then mentioned the film and recalled their own experience in school days as backbenchers. We thought about abolishing the back bench system, starting with Class I. Accordingly, seats were arranged in a U-shaped pattern.' The headmistress said the response was 'enormous', and students and teachers alike were happy about the new arrangement. 'Teachers could give equal attention to all students who sat in a single row. We would give a message to the students that all of them are equal and we are taking care of each and every student. Otherwise, a backbencher will remain a backbencher throughout his school life. Parents also gave good feedback, as their children started picking up lessons faster,'' she said. Liji said the U-shaped classroom would be most suitable if the student strength is around 25. 'In Classes IV and V, we have more students and hence the seats were arranged in two U-shaped rows,'' she said.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Goal to ensure level playing field for all kids: Min
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