Latest news with #SSK
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Samagra Shiksha Kerala: State sanctions ₹19.77 cr. for payment of staff salaries
The State government has sanctioned ₹19.77 crore for distributing the salary for staff under Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK), a centrally-sponsored scheme. Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal said the State government has advanced the amount in view of the Centre withholding its share, affecting the timely payment of salaries. SSK employs over 6,800 staff. This includes 689 teachers, 1,255 specialist teachers, 2,784 resource teachers, 1,031 cluster coordinators and other staff. The Centre, responsible for 60% of the expenses under the scheme, has withheld its share for the past two years, according to Mr. Balagopal. The arrears have mounted to ₹609 crore, according to Mr. Balagopal. Two instalments from the 2023-24 fiscal are pending. No funds were issued towards the Central share in 2024-25.
The Hindu
01-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
With an increase in dropout rate, education remains a distant dream for tribal students in Edamalakkudy
As a new academic year is set to begin on Monday, proper education remains a distant dream in Edamalakkudy, the first tribal panchayat in Kerala. Despite the State government's upgrade of the panchayat's lower primary (LP) school to upper primary (UP), the number of students has been decreasing every year. According to sources, the total number of students in the school in the 2023-24 academic year was 72, which decreased to 54 in the 2024-25 academic year. The sources said that out of the 54, nearly 30 students have no Aadhar cards, and due to this, they will be ineligible to apply for scholarships. Given transfer According to the sources, the headteacher was the only permanent staff in the school. However, he has already been given a transfer and will be relived of his duties on Monday. Most of the students arrive from distant settlements and need to trek two to three hours to reach the school. The lack of adequate hostel facilities and amenities is a significant factor contributing to the rising dropout in the school, they said. 'The school has been witnessing a noticeable trend of decreasing enrolment. The State government had upgraded the school from LP to UP two years ago. However, even the board of the school has not been corrected to indicate this change,' said a source. The school has six posts for permanent teachers, said sources. However, the lack of accommodation-facilities for them is another hurdle that prevents teachers from working here on a long-term basis, they added. Meanwhile, Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) block project coordinator Shaji Thomas said that the SSK had already conducted a door-to-door campaign in the 21 tribal settlements in Edamalakkudy and had made parents aware about the importance of ensuring regular attendance. 'Only eight students joined Class I in the last academic year. However, this year it has increased to 16. Also, the Education department has already appointed three teachers, and they will be joining on Monday,' said Mr. Thomas. According to panchayat officials, the government is also planning to construct a hostel for both boys and girls in Edamalakkudy. Heavy rain The panchayat has witnessed heavy rain for the past few days due to which six settlements have been isolated. This will prevent students from these settlements from attending the school on Monday. Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine will inaugurate the district-level Praveshanolsavam at St. Sebastian's UP School in Thodupuzha on Monday at 9.30 a.m.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
DK's govt schools get funds and materials worth Rs 9.2 crore
Mangaluru: Govt schools across Dakshina Kannada (DK) have received significant support from CSR funds, MLA grants, donors, students, well-wishers, alumni, and others, worth Rs 9.2 crore in the last academic year (2024-25). Contributions came in the form of money, materials, and even salaries for honorary teachers. Interestingly, many current and former students also donated both money and items to their alma mater. Additionally, funds were collected through the 'Namagaagi' portal, developed by engineering students and launched by the DK district administration. Sumangala S Nayak, deputy project coordinator, Samagra Shikshana Karnataka (SSK), said that donations in cash and materials were received across the govt schools in the district. The grants were received for infrastructure development. Some of the donations included electronic gadgets such as mixer grinders for midday meal programme, smart TVs, CCTVs, solar panels, projectors, fans, interactive smart boards, public address systems, desktops, and printers. In the furniture section, items like desks, benches, chairs, cupboards, podiums, and others were donated. Additionally, schools received donations of notebooks, writing materials, interlocks, uniforms, cement plastering for the school, and funds for other development works. "Some donors made monetary contributions while others donated items," said Nayak, adding that the total cost of the contributions made during the last academic year was estimated to be around Rs 9.2 crore. A source from the education department, who did not wish to be named, said that donors showed more concern and made more contributions towards govt schools over 100 years old. "These generous contributions have strengthened govt schools and attracted more students to the campus. With this help, the infrastructure and other facilities at these institutions have been upgraded." Govinda Madivala, DDPI, Dakshina Kannada, said that donations in materials and cash have contributed to the growth of govt schools. Besides, the Namagaagi portal launched by the district administration is also trying to generate funds from donors. "Currently, it is facing technical issues and is expected to be functional soon," he said.
New Indian Express
06-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Kerala's skill development initiative gives job aspirants a STAR-rating
KOCHI: What next? That was a question many students from economically backward families or those lacking job-specific skills faced. High fees would make additional courses in private institutions near impossible to take. But the stars of good fortune are now shining bright for such students. Enter STARS (Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States). Under the central scheme, Kerala has launched an initiative that will see the setting up of 210 Skill Development Centres (SDC) in the state. These centres will become functional in the second week of May. Another plus is the placement facilities available. Rajalakshmi D, who passed Class 10, is a beneficiary of the STARS Skill Development Course. 'For students like me, who come from financially weak families, centres like SDC offering free courses that equip you with specific skills making you employable is a blessing,' Rajalakshmi tells TNIE. She is one of around 700 students in the pilot batch to benefit from tailor-made courses started in 2024. 'I joined the fitness trainer course at the SDC at GVHSS, Kunjathur, in Kasaragod district. The training, theoretical and on-the-job, there made me employable. And the result is there for everyone to see. I got placed with a top fitness centre in Kanhangad,' Rajalakshmi says. The programme is being implemented by the general education department in association with the Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) to equip students up to the higher secondary level with skills that will enable them to get employed in fields they have an aptitude for. Elaborating on the initiative, an SSK official says, 'In the pilot phase, one centre each was launched in all 14 districts of the state. Each centre had a batch of 50 students. Forty percent of the 700 students have been placed in various sectors.' Following up on the success of the pilot initiative, the state government decided to expand the project.
Telegraph
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
It's time to talk about the alternative to nuclear submarines for the Royal Navy
During my 20 odd years at sea in the Royal Navy, there were two things you simply did not say. One was 'I think corvettes are great, we should have loads of them' and 'why don't we bring back diesel-electric submarines'. The reasoning was simple – do not do or say anything that might jeopardise exquisite platforms, such as nuclear powered submarines, aircraft carriers and high-end warfighting escorts. And it wasn't just banter. I know at least two officers who had their careers ended for suggesting (in writing) that a modular corvette would be a useful thing to have. I suggested in my undergraduate degree thesis that getting rid of our diesel submarines was a mistake. If I had pulled a stunt like that as a commander, it would have ended badly. The notion makes sense. Why wouldn't the Navy want the best kit – platforms that can cover the entire spectrum of conflict from influence operations through the grey zone and up to a shooting war? The problem comes when you want the best kit but the system doesn't give you enough cash to support those noble ambitions. In the case of Defence, that sum has been insufficient now for over thirty years which is why in nearly every service and branch we now have some really good stuff but nowhere near enough of it. As an example our nuclear powered attack submarine fleet, the hunter killers, is woefully thin. We currently have five, with two in build. The shambles that is their maintenance programme means that of the five, we have two that are operational. For parts of last year, that number was zero: no working attack boats. You don't have to be Alfred Thayer Mahan to know that when things get heated, these assets are going to be near the top of the response menu. But not from alongside they're not. And you don't need to be Admiral Hyman G Rickover, the father of the US nuclear navy, to know that number should actually be twelve. This gives you four boats to use (the three to one ratio is an immutable law of complex ships), one for working with the carrier, one for UK work, one for the high north and one in the Mediterranean would be a good start. We actually had fifteen such boats when I joined back in 1990 but that was the end of a sustained period of 4 per cent of GDP being spent on defence. In the current climate, where increasing from 2.3 per cent to 2.5 per cent in two years time is seen as a success, I would wager large sums that we will never achieve that number again. We don't have the money, the yards or the people. Neither do we have the courage to kick in the Treasury's doors and change the culture there. So what is the solution? Well maybe we have to break one of the golden rules and consider reverting, some would say regressing, back to a mixed fleet of nuclear (SSN) and conventional (SSK) powered submarines. Diesel-electric submarines, so called because this is how they are powered, have some significant advantages over their nuclear powered brethren. When operating just on batteries, they are whisper quiet. I went up against a German SSK in an exercise off the south coast and it had the ability to just disappear. One minute you would have really solid tracking and the next … gone. It was quite unnerving. This acoustic advantage over nuclear powered submarines is not as marked as it was in the Cold War with SSNs now able to cool their reactors without the use of 'noisy' pumps, but it is still there. They are also cheap. You can buy four for the price of one SSN. This is the main reason why so many navies have these as their submarine of choice. This simplicity also leads to a better availability ratio. I mentioned three to one for SSNs, for SSKs it is just over two to one, ie you would get two working boats from your outlay of four you purchased. The Dutch, Norwegians and Germans all have excellent options for us to buy off the shelf should that ever be politically acceptable. SSKs are also smaller. An Astute class SSN displaces 7,800 tons when dived: the US equivalent, the Virginia class, slightly more. The AUKUS submarine that will one day replace our Astutes will be over 10,000 tons. Meanwhile, most SSKs displace less than 3,000 tons, some a lot less. This and the fact that they don't have a reactor means they can operate in places that are too shallow for an SSN. Operating areas like the Baltic and the Gulf become more easily accessible. It also means they can go alongside in places that would not allow a nuclear powerplant alongside. A nuclear submarine's superpower is that nobody knows where it is, but that isn't really true of a diesel sub: it runs on the surface most of the time if it wants to actually get anywhere. The effect of abandoning secrecy and going alongside with flags waving is the same as it is in any warship and should not be underestimated. It's also fun, and in an era where recruiting and retaining is difficult, doubly so in submarines, this is important. Perhaps the real advantage though would be their ability to restore operating experience that has been gradually eroded by having so few working nuclear powered boats. SSK crews are much smaller, generally less than 30, but rapid rotation and short, punchy patrols would improve experience levels across all departments and reduce the amount of luck currently needed to be posted to a working boat in order to advance your career. From a leadership perspective there is no doubt that commanding a couple of smaller ships made me better when it came to driving a frigate but it's broader than that; it would thicken everything. There is, of course, a catch. And it's a huge one. At some point, no matter what technology you are using, or how good your batteries are, you have to charge them back up. This involves coming up to periscope depth and putting up a snort mast that allows your diesels to breathe so that you can recharge your batteries. At the very moment you are most visible, with a mast up that can be detected by radar, you are also making the most noise. Modern technology means that the gap between snorts is increasing – in some boats it can be over a month – but to achieve that you have to run at very, very slow speeds. At these speeds, your ability to get into a position to be of any use, particularly if the target is also moving, is hugely reduced. Non diesel 'air independent' propulsion technologies are impressive, but they can't overcome physics: and good luck getting that kit refuelled/recharged anywhere but at a specially equipped naval base. A good indication how practical these options are is provided by the fact that diesels are always included in the design as well. Meanwhile the nuclear powered SSN can sustain high speeds, fully submerged, virtually indefinitely. They might not want to, for tactical and acoustic reasons, but they can, and it's a game changing advantage and the overwhelming reason why the US and UK went nuclear-only all those years ago and why Australia wants to do so now. So what would we use SSKs for? They would be no good operating with the Carrier Strike Group because they couldn't keep up with the group unless they ran on the surface the whole time. Similarly they aren't a lot of use for attacking surface warships or even merchant shipping out in the open ocean, as these move too fast for a submerged SSK to get into a firing position unless the captain is lucky. They would be of almost no use in the High North against Russian nuclear submarines operating up there. Under ice work can be done by SSKs but isn't recommended. They would, however, be useful for protecting Critical National Infrastructure around the UK, an ever-increasing vulnerability. Their shallow draft makes them eminently suitable for some Special Forces work and acting as an underwater sentry off, say, the submarine base in Faslane, Scotland. In fact, pre-positioned and operating at slow speed, they would be excellent for any chokepoint work. We could use them for minelaying should that be a box we ever want to open again. They would have utility in protecting our nuclear deterrent subs at choke points and be invaluable for training future submarine captains and acting as an aggressor for training our SSNs and anti-submarine frigates. As mentioned before, they could work in places like the Baltic and Mediterranean – although this is offset by how many allies we have there who already have SSKs and would probably rather we concentrated on fixing our SSNs. If money was no object you would simply have a proper number of SSNs. But it is an object, and given that we cannot afford a reasonable number of SSNs, it's time to consider having some affordable SSKs alongside our limited SSN force (note that I said affordable – our last attempt at SSKs, the disastrous U boats, were not even cheap). In my view the advantages SSKs provide in terms of providing experience and training coupled with the odd tactical advantage in certain situations would be enough to offset the huge operating disadvantage that limits them. We also need more mass, and this is a relatively quick and easy way of achieving it. In fact, we really need to get better at selecting capabilities one rung down from exquisite across the board. The Type 31 Frigate programme gives me hope that we might be getting better at this. But I will not be thanked by a system that is working to get 'improve nuclear' to feature high up in the Strategic Defence Review for bringing this up just now. I'm afraid I am cynical enough to make that a reason to do so. For once, I would love to see nuanced discussions like this take place based on the strategic and tactical operating requirements rather than fear of the Treasury. But that's not the world we are currently in. Perhaps I should write something on Corvettes next.
