Latest news with #KAMS
Hindustan Times
03-06-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Schools reopen with Covid precautions as cases rise
Schools across the state reopened on Monday for the new academic year after the summer break, with health and education authorities implementing renewed precautionary measures due to a recent increase in Covid-19 cases in the state. As students returned to classrooms, many were seen wearing masks along with teachers and staff members. The state government, anticipating the public health risk, had issued a circular last week stressing the need to follow Covid-19 safety protocols in all schools — government, aided, and unaided. The health and family welfare commissioner, in the advisory, directed parents not to send their children to school if they exhibit symptoms such as fever, cough, or cold. The same applies to school staff — both teaching and non-teaching — who have been asked to take appropriate precautions if they are unwell. 'If children come to school with fever, cough, cold and other symptoms, inform their parents and send them back to home,' the circular from the health department said. 'If these symptoms are found among the school teachers and non-teaching staff, they should be advised to follow appropriate precautionary measures.' The circular mandates strict adherence to Covid-19 appropriate behaviour (CAB), which includes regular hand hygiene, proper cough etiquette, and isolation of symptomatic individuals. Schools have been advised to immediately send home any student found with Covid-like symptoms, while ensuring that staff members also comply with hygiene protocols. As of Sunday evening, Karnataka reported 253 active Covid-19 cases, with four deaths attributed to comorbid conditions since the beginning of the year. In line with health directives, the department of school education and literacy (DSEL) has reiterated that symptomatic children should not be sent to school and should only return after receiving medical attention and full recovery. The commissioner of public instruction also issued a parallel advisory stating that children must attend school only after symptoms subside and that all schools must remain vigilant in implementing preventive measures. General secretary of the associated managements of schools in Karnataka (KAMS) D Shashikumar said, 'For the safety of children, we have been instructed to follow Covid-19 precautionary measures in all schools under our organisation. Accordingly, all our schools have been sanitised. Parents have been advised not to send children with fever, cough and cold and other problems to schools. All the instructions issued by the government in this regard from time to time will be followed without fail.'
New Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
KAMS issues advisory as schools reopen amid Covid-19 cases rise
BENGALURU: As schools are set to reopen, the Karnataka Association of Management Schools (KAMS) issued an advisory on Sunday, urging all educational institutions to remain alert in light of the new Covid variants and seasonal viral infections. The advisory emphasises a strict health-based attendance policy, stating that students displaying symptoms such as fever, cough, cold, or skin rashes should not be sent to school. Parents are advised to seek immediate medical care for unwell children. 'There is no need for panic. Children who are healthy and symptom-free can safely attend school,' said Shashi Kumar D, General Secretary of KAMS. School heads and teachers are encouraged to promote hygiene by maintaining clean classrooms, ensuring regular handwashing, and improving ventilation. If any student falls ill during school hours, schools are directed to isolate the child safely, provide basic first aid, and inform the parents immediately. Reinforcing that healthy children can safely attend school, KAMS called for cooperation to ensure safe and reassuring learning environments for all.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Covid concern: Bengaluru private schools' association issues fresh SOP on health precautions
Bengaluru: As schools prepare to reopen, Karnataka Associated Managements of Schools (KAMS) has issued a fresh advisory urging all private educational institutions to stay vigilant in light of alerts over emerging Covid-19 variants and other viral infections. An updated SOP by the association of private schools followed a death due to Covid-19 in the city Saturday. The circular emphasises that while there is no reason to panic, schools must act with responsibility and reinforce hygiene and safety protocols. The advisory outlines a series of updated measures to be implemented before and during school reopening to ensure the safety of students, staff and their families. A key directive is the enforcement of a health-based attendance policy. Students showing symptoms of fever, cough, cold, rashes or allergies should not be sent to school, and parents are advised to seek medical attention immediately. "The health of all children is a priority over attendance records," the advisory stated. Schools are also instructed to conduct thorough sanitisation and promote awareness on hygiene. Teachers and staff are urged to educate children about hand washing, respiratory etiquette, and the importance of clean, ventilated classrooms. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Click Here - This Might Save You From Losing Money Expertinspector Click Here Undo In case a child falls sick during school hours, schools must isolate the student in a supervised space and inform the parents without delay. The advisory further reminds stakeholders to avoid spreading panic or unverified news about Covid-19, urging reliance on official updates from health authorities. KAMS general secretary Shashi Kumar D told TOI, "We haven't got any guidelines from the govt so far. These are guidelines we from the association have shared with all our schools as a social responsibility to take precautionary measures. Considering the rain and how kids can be vulnerable to infections, we don't want schools and parents to panic." "As of now, these are very general measures and other measures like social distancing and masks are not really needed…in such cases, schools will be informed later on the same," he said in a video.
New Indian Express
04-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
KAMS seeks overhaul of examination system
BENGALURU: The Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) has called for urgent reforms to the state's SSLC examination system, describing it as unjust and outdated compared to other southern states and national education boards such as CBSE and ICSE. A detailed memorandum was submitted to the Principal Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy, V. Rashmi Mahesh, and Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa on Saturday. It will be officially presented to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on May 7. Key recommendations include reducing the pass percentage from 35 to 33, adopting a blended model of internal and external assessments, and aligning the curriculum with NCERT and the National Curriculum Framework (NCF). KAMS has also proposed the introduction of dual-level exam options—basic and standard—in Mathematics and Science to accommodate diverse student learning needs. Additionally, they have recommended implementing formative assessments from Grade 1 onwards and enforcing structured student evaluations under Section 16 of the amended RTE Act, 2019. KAMS also aims to establish a high-level expert committee comprising representatives from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT), the Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB), and other key educational institutions. This committee would use the guiding principles of the NCF 2023 and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to shape future reforms. The memorandum draws comparisons with educational models in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Puducherry. Citing student stress and curriculum inefficiencies, KAMS has emphasized the need for systemic reforms to ensure fairness, reduce academic pressure, and modernise Karnataka's education system.
New Indian Express
04-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Many reasons for SSLC centum spike: Experts
BENGALURU: Easy and predictable question paper, lenient evaluation and shortened syllabus were some of the major reasons why the state had a whopping 22 students scoring 625/625, with a dramatic jump from one last year. Experts, without downplaying the students' efforts, said that getting such a perfect score is very difficult, as the answer scripts would pass through layers of evaluation, specifically language papers, where marks are cut even for spelling mistakes, reducing the possibility of a perfect score. They argued that the whole learning process will be condensed to 'rote memorisation' rather than 'learning', just to appear among the toppers. Talking about the leniency in the questions and checking process this year, Shashi Kumar, the General Secretary of Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) said, 'Most of the papers were comparatively easy this year, except for Kannada, and the evaluation was also lenient. However, we also had a bunch of sincere students who studied hard this time.' Development educationist Professor Niranjanaradhya V P expressed concerns over the objectivity of evaluating theory-based exam papers, particularly those that include long and short-answer questions. He said that while multiple-choice questions (MCQs) have a clear and standardised marking process, the same cannot be said for subjective answers. 'In many cases, students are awarded full marks even for long-answer questions. On the surface, the evaluation appears to be lenient. However, it also heavily depends on the nature and understanding of the evaluator,' he said, highlighting the inconsistencies that may arise due to the lack of uniform assessment practices. An evaluator said, 'Reduction in syllabus has made it easier for the students to concentrate on fewer topics, helping them to score better this time. And along with that we took multiple extra classes and revision classes, helping them be thorough with the subjects'. 'However this time the questions were predictable, there were so many repeated questions from last year, except for Kannada which included questions from Hale Kannada (Old Kannada) which is quite challenging for the students. It's also that this time the correction was comparatively lenient,' she added.
