Latest news with #GeneralEducation
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Students without UID not be counted in sixth working day headcount
Children who do not have UID (Unique Identity Number) will not be considered for fixing student enrolment data on the basis of the sixth working day headcount that is used to determine the number of staff positions in an academic year. At a press conference here on Monday, Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty and Director of General Education (DGE) Shanavas S. said time was usually given to correct errors in students' names. However, if a student did not have a UID, it could mean that student was enrolled in some other school. This could lead to counting of the particular student twice while determining the headcount of students. The Minister said June 10 was the sixth working day as schools reopened this year on June 2. The details of students in government, aided, and unaided recognised schools on the basis of the sixth working day this academic year were being collected online on the Sampoorna web portal. The DGE said there was no hurdle in getting UIDs if proper documents were submitted in an Akshaya centre. 'UIDs can be taken anytime after a child turns five years old. Not doing so despite being given ample time is not believable,' the DGE said. Day against drug abuse The Minister said June 26 was International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and the General Education department was organising elaborate promotional programmes in connection with it. The Chief Minister would participate in one of the programmes. A year-long project that included seminars and special assembly would be launched to create awareness of the drug menace among students. The half-an-hour increase in school timings would be implemented next week. A circular on how to rearrange school timings would be issued soon, the Minister said. On Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases against teachers, the Minister alleged that appointing authorities were reluctant to act against the accused. After the DGE was entrusted with taking action in such cases, nine were sacked and procedures were under way in 17 cases. Notice had been issued to deputy directors of education who were not taking action in such cases, the Minister said. Academic master plan The DGE said that on the directives of the Chief Minister, the department planned to hold a consultation with stakeholders such as teachers' organisations, parents, and education experts on the academic master plan. The focus would be on strategies to cope with addiction to digital devices, ragging, and other challenges, besides academic support to be given to students. A half-day programme would be held at Mascot Hotel on June 21. The recommendations that come up would be used to give guidelines to schools for preparing their own master plans.
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- The Hindu
Kerala govt. to crack down on teachers, staff involved in Pocso cases: Minister
General Education Minister V. Sivankutty on Monday warned of stringent action against teachers and other employees of the education department involved in Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso) cases. Seventy-seven Pocso cases have been reported so far against those working in secondary schools under the General Education department, he said. Of them, 65 are teachers and 12 are non-teaching staff, the Minister said after inaugurating a programme organised by the Police Officers Association here. He sought strong support from the police to ensure punishment for the culprits in such cases. Of the 65 employees facing Pocso cases in secondary schools, stringent disciplinary measures have been taken against 45 persons, and steps are being taken in the remaining cases, he said. Three Pocso cases have been reported in the vocational higher secondary division, Mr. Sivankutty said. The government has suspended and taken legal action against 14 teachers from higher secondary schools and seven teachers from the aided sector in connection with Pocso cases, the Minister said. The files of cases that have not been completed on time, along with information about the officials handling them, are being made available to the office of the Director of Public Education for further action, he said.
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- The Hindu
Students in Kerala warned against fake website
The General Education department has warned students in the State against falling prey to an organisation based in Uttar Pradesh that offers false certificates through a website. Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty and Director of General Education Shanavas S. said the current domain name of the Pareeksha Bhavan was However, the fake website offered students facility to download certificates. Often, students realised that the certificates were fake only when institutions sent these to the Pareeksha Bhavan for verification. Students who downloaded these certificates found differences in the marks obtained and even suffered financial loss and other difficulties. The website was issuing a SSLC marklist out of 600 marks for six subjects - English, Hindi, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Social Science, and Computer Science, they pointed out. It had now been found that the website address had been changed to A complaint had been submitted to the police cyber cell to close down the website, they said. For any doubts, contact the Pareeksha Bhavan.
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Focus Point 2.0 for students on May 26
The Career Guidance and Adolescent Counselling cell of the higher secondary wing of the General Education department will organise an orientation programme in all higher secondary schools for students who have passed Plus Two to make them aware of higher education opportunities. The orientation 'Focus Point 2.1' will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 26. It will familiarise students with courses available in the country, entrance examinations, scholarships, and studies abroad.
The Hindu
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Sivankutty to meet Union Education Minister in New Delhi
Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty will meet Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi on May 2 to present the State's demands in the area of education. At a press conference here on Tuesday, the Minister said he would convey directly to Mr. Pradhan the State's objection to denial of funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme in the name of failure to sign the agreement for implementing the PM-SHRI scheme. General Education Principal Secretary Rani George, Director of General Education Shanavas S., State Council of Educational Research and Training Jayaprakash R.K., and Samagra Shiksha Kerala Project Director Supriya A.R. will accompany him. The Minister will also attend a meeting of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) general council meeting where he will raise the issue of changes made to textbooks by the NCERT in the name of their revision. The Minister had earlier alleged that this was a bid to saffronise education in the country. Training for teachers during the vacations will be held for five days from May 13 at various centres. Besides introducing them to new textbooks, training will be given to them as part of the anti-drug campaign of the government. Cluster meetings to be held later in the year will also feature training in anti-drug campaign. A mega Zumba display involving 1,500 students from select schools in Thiruvananthapuram district, teachers, and parents will be held at Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium at 5 p.m. on Wednesday as part of the government efforts to include sports and arts education in the school curriculum with the wider aim of steering students away from drugs and violence. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the event. Nearly 2,000 teachers had applied for the higher secondary general transfer within two days, Mr. Sivankutty said. The government had decided to form a committee comprising the General Education additional secretary, higher secondary senior administrative officer, and Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education chief executive officer to address teachers' complaints related to the transfer. Periods allotted for physical and art education in students' timetable will be used only for those activities from the new academic year, the Minister said. The Minister clarified that the results of the Lower and Upper Secondary Scholarship (LSS/USS) examinations had not been published contrary to the claims made by an Uttar Pradesh-based fraudulent organisation. A complaint had been given to the police in connection with the fake news that the LSS/USS results had been published on April 27. The results were being processed and would be published soon, he said.
