Sharp decline in special needs children enrolling in Kerala schools, Centre urges state to act
'There is a significant decline in the percentage share of CwSN (children with special needs) in secondary grades and only 39% of teachers have been trained in inclusive education,' the ministry said in a review of the Samagra Shiksha, or inclusive education, programme in Kerala for the last academic year. A report on the review was released on May 2.
According to the report, children with special needs make up just 2% of the total student enrolment in schools in the state.
The report advised the state to use the PRASHAST app — an application developed by NCERT for schools to screen students for potential disabilities — to identify children with special needs providing assistance accordingly.
On the infrastructure front, the report pointed out several gaps, which the state was told to rectify. It said that out of 15,864 schools, 13,029 (82%) are equipped with ramps, but only 4,504 (29%) have CwSN-friendly boys toilets, and 4,102 (26%) have CwSN-friendly girls toilets.
The report said, 'There are six schools without provision of electricity, nine without drinking water, 21 without girls toilets, 41 without boys toilets.' The state was told to ensure I00% coverage of these facilities in all government schools in 2025-26.
Out of the total 1,310 secondary and senior secondary schools, 29 do not have ICT lags and 70 don't have smart classrooms. Besides, out of 851 senior secondary schools, 37 don't have Physics labs, 31 don't have Chemistry labs, and 67 don't have Biology labs.
The Union ministry also raised concern about the reduction in the total number of enrolments in government and aided schools, from 46.37,701 in 2022-23 to 45,50.822 in 2023-24.
The Kerala governemnt has said the 'state has done data cleansing exercises using Aadhaar verification. Apart from this, the state is also making an automated permanent academic account registry in order to validate enrollment details'.
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Economic Times
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- Economic Times
Centre approves two semiconductor units for Odisha
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The minister said that the plant will have a capacity to produce 9.6 crore chips per Cabinet also approved US chip major Intel-backed 3D Glass semiconductor manufacturing unit in Odisha with an investment of Rs 1,943 crore. 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I look forward to continued partnership between the state and Central governments to further this strategic initiative for the comprehensive development of Odisha and the nation. #doubleengine," Majhi Private Limited is collaborating with Clas-SiC Wafer Fab Ltd, UK, to establish an integrated facility of Silicon Carbide (SiC) based Compound Semiconductors in Info Valley, Bhubaneshwar, project proposes to manufacture Silicon Carbide devices. This compound semiconductor fab will have an annual capacity of 60,000 wafers and packaging capacity of 96 million units. The proposed products will have applications in missiles, defence equipment, electric vehicles (EVs), railway, fast chargers, data centre racks, consumer appliances, and solar power inverters, an official statement said.3D Glass Solutions Inc (3DGS) will be setting up a vertically integrated advanced packaging and embedded glass substrate unit in Info Valley, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. 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an hour ago
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Centre approves two semiconductor units for Odisha
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"The recent decision by the Union Cabinet to establish two semiconductor units in Odisha is rooted in the initiatives undertaken during the BJD regime," he said that investors interested in establishing a semiconductor industry in the state was cultivated during the 2nd edition of the Make in Odisha conclave held in December 2022, where several proposals were received. Accordingly, a dedicated policy for the semiconductor sector and its supporting ecosystem was formulated in 2023, he BJD leader said that discussions were held with multiple international investors to attract investment in this sector, and efforts began to establish the necessary ecosystem to develop Odisha as a cutting-edge electronics manufacturing hub.
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