Minister V Sivankutty mulls U-shaped seating to do away with ‘backbencher' tag
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Church condemns attack on priests, nuns in Odisha
Kochi: With another attack against Christian clergy in Odisha, various church bodies issued a strong condemnation of attacks against Christians in various parts of the country. The response followed an alleged attack on priests and nuns in Balasore diocese in Odisha. Syro-Malabar Church media commission said the latest attack at 5pm on Aug 6 in Gangadhar village of Jaleswar district, Odisha, was carried out alleging religious conversion. Fr Lijo Nirappel and Fr V Jojo from Balasore diocese were injured. The two priests, along with two nuns and a few mission workers, reached the church under Gangadhar Mission to offer a mass for the deceased, the Church added. After the service, about 70 Bajrang Dal activists blocked their way and brutally assaulted the priests and their assistant, the Church said. "Witnesses said the attackers shouted: 'Remember, Odisha is ruled by BJP. Christians are not needed here and you will not be allowed to operate here.' Although police arrived at the scene, they were unwilling to file a case, showing how sectarian forces control the legal system," said an official statement. It added the reluctance to act against lawlessness in Chhattisgarh emboldened Sangh organisations to continue their attacks on Christian minority. Meanwhile, CBCI president Mar Andrews Thazhath said Indian Constitution guaranteed right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion but ordinary people are being attacked for no reason in the name of religious conversion and the anti-conversion bill. "It is happening in different ways in different states. So, I urge the concerned authorities, state or Centre, to act against such unconstitutional attacks on freedom of religion and rights of minorities," he said. Fr Philip Kaviyil, global director of Catholic Congress, wrote a letter to Prime Minister demanding action against the attack on nuns, priests and laymen in Odisha by Bajrang Dal members. He said it was both heartbreaking and alarming that such hate-fuelled acts were carried out even in broad daylight, often with impunity. In a sarcastic Facebook post, metropolitan of Thrissur diocese of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Yuhanon Mor Meletius, said "The actor whom we had sent to Delhi from Thrissur Parliament seat is missing. We are concerned whether we should inform police." Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Madras High Court pulls up Tamil Nadu police over Facebook post on Lord Krishna, says 'Hindu Gods cannot be depicted..'
The Madras High Court lashed out at the Tamil Nadu Police for mechanically closing a criminal case registered over a Facebook post, reported Bar and Bench on Friday. The bench, headed by Justice K Murali Shankar, criticised the police action on the post which contained vulgar captions alongside an image of Lord Krishna stealing clothes from gopis. According to Justice K Murali Shankar, the depiction of religious figures must be handled with due sensitivity. He added that the government must ensure that freedom of speech does not translate into hurting religious feelings. "Depicting Hindu Gods in a disrespectful manner, intentionally hurting the sentiments of millions, cannot be justified. Such actions have the potential to spark enmity, religious outrage, social disorder, and undermine communal harmony. Given the deep-rooted respect for religious symbols and deities, disrespect can lead to social unrest and hurt a large section of society. Therefore, it is crucial to approach such depictions with sensitivity. The Government must ensure that freedom of expression does not translate into hurting religious feelings," the Bar and Bench quoted the August 4 ruling as saying. According to the report, the Facebook post in question contained two Tamil comments. The first comment, made by Sathish Kumar, stated that Krishna Jayanti was a celebration of a man who stole the clothes of bathing women. Following this, P Paramasivan filed a criminal case and alleged that the post was uploaded with the intent to defame Hindu gods and damage the image of Hindu women. Paramasivan even raised concerns that the post could potentially trigger law and order problems on religious grounds. However, in February, the police filed a negative final report before the trial court, claiming it requested information about the Facebook user who uploaded the post from Meta, but unable to secure such user details. The trial court accepted the police's negative final report, which classified the case as UN. Following this, the complainant approached the High Court with a revision plea. The Madras High Court then pulled up the police for not being diligent in pursuing the criminal case. They also ordered them to resume the investigation and file a final report in three months.
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Akshaya entrepreneurs in Ernakulam suspend K-Smart services over low service charges
Akshaya entrepreneurs in Ernakulam district, affiliated to the Akshaya Welfare Association, have unofficially suspended K-Smart services in protest against what they allege is an abysmally low service charge unilaterally fixed by the State government without any consultation. On Friday (August 8, 2025), the association laid siege to the district project office and submitted a representation, along with their charter of rates, to the district project manager, who assured them that it would be forwarded to the State project office. The government had issued the order fixing service charges for K-Smart services on Wednesday (August 6, 2025). 'Unless the government decides to revisit the rates, we will go ahead and start charging service charges as per our charter from Saturday (August 9,2025). We cannot continue causing inconvenience to the public by suspending the delivery of K-Smart services,' said G.K. Sreeraj, secretary, Akshaya Welfare Association. Meanwhile, Minister for Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh clarified that K-Smart, the digital platform developed by the Information Kerala Mission for the Local Self-Government department, was designed to be user-friendly, enabling anyone with basic computer skills to access it. However, people continue to rely on Akshaya centres. There have been complaints about service charges varying across centres, with some allegedly collecting exorbitant fees. The K-Smart service charges were fixed in this context, Mr. Rajesh said. Since the launch of Project Akshaya 23 years ago, service fees have been revised only once—in 2018. Akshaya entrepreneurs have been up in arms ever since, citing the negligible revision, which they said did not reflect rising operational costs or the stiff competition from private citizen service centres. 'The sad part is that even the revised service charges for K-Smart services were fixed unilaterally and kept abysmally low,' said Mr. Sreeraj. He cited the example of the charge for changing building ownership—a process that involves scanning and uploading the title deed, possession certificate, consent letter from the previous owner, death certificate (if applicable), two pages of the Haritha Karma Sena register, and entering building details in both English and Malayalam. 'This laborious process takes up to 30 minutes, yet the service charge is just ₹50,' he rued. A similar situation exists with the service charge for marriage registration, said Mr. Sreeraj. The process involves entering the one-time password received by the bride, bridegroom, and two witnesses, uploading the Aadhaar cards and SSLC books of the couple, feeding in their personal details in both English and Malayalam, uploading the marriage certificate, and completing a video verification of the newly-wed couple. 'The entire process takes up to 45 minutes, yet the service charge is just ₹70 for the general category and ₹50 for the scheduled category—while the government fee for marriage registration itself is ₹120,' he pointed out.
