Latest news with #SamagraShikshaKerala
The Hindu
21 hours 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.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Kerala CM Pinarayi to inaugurate Praveshanotsavam today
'The academic master plan will be published by June 10. The academic year 2025-26 will be considered as the Comprehensive Quality Year. Various activities and projects are being implemented as part of making Comprehensive Quality Education efficient, ensuring that the knowledge and skills to be acquired by children in each class are acquired in the respective classes itself. The learning processes will be developed in such a way that the values envisaged in the Constitution, such as democracy, secularism, and equality along with the social values and civic consciousness put forward by the Curriculum Framework 2023, are instilled in children,' said minister Sivankutty. 'NCERT has prepared a school readiness package for children who enter Class 1 without any preschool learning experience and with different preschool experiences. Samagra Shiksha Kerala has been tasked with developing the module,' he added. In the context of the revision of the Class I curriculum and textbook, Samagra Shiksha Kerala has prepared a readiness package for the implementation of the first two weeks of the academic year under the name 'Onnorukkam' for the year 2025-26.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- 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.
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.
The Hindu
30-04-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
SSK takes up various projects in Kozhikode amid fund crunch
The Kozhikode unit of the Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) has claimed to have implemented several projects aimed at achieving the target of education for all. According to SSK officials, 'Malayalathilakkam', 'Hello English', 'Budding Writers', 'Sureeli Hindi', 'Meethi Malayalam', and 'Ahlan Arabic' were some of the projects launched in the past nine years to improve language learning. Tinkering labs, mathematics labs, weather stations, science labs, and social science labs were set up, and science kits were distributed among students. The projects such as 'Ullasa Ganitham' and 'Ganitha Vijayam' were meant to make Mathematics learning easy. Funds were allocated for developing school libraries and programmes are being held to improve reading habit among students. These projects are being implemented at a time when the Centre has withheld the State's due share for not signing the PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) agreement. According to the Education department, ₹1,186.84 crore, including arrears, is due from the Union government. As a result, staff salaries have often been delayed. For differently abled students The SSK has set up special centres for the differently abled students and efforts were made to enrol almost all students in schools. A swimming training programme titled 'Beats' was one of the innovative projects taken up in Kozhikode in which 100 visually-impaired students were included. A music troupe titled 'Malhar', formed for the differently abled students, conducted many programmes at various places. Steps were taken to provide home-based education for bedridden students and those who are physically, mentally, or intellectually challenged, so that they too get a school-like experience. Virtual classrooms and an interactive project named 'Changathikoottam', where students share their school experiences with their bedridden peers, are among the initiatives. Differently abled students who completed their school education were trained for jobs and provided with placement services. There are 16 autism centres in the district where physiotherapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy services are being provided. Empowerment schemes are being implemented for the parents, and the services of special educators are also being ensured. Skill development SSK officials said that 'Creative Corners' were being run in 27 locations in association with the Cochin University of Science and Technology for the skill development of upper primary students. Tinkering labs were set up in six schools to provide practical training for students from classes VI to XII in electronics, robotics, 3D printing, coding, and sensor technology. Weather stations were established at 18 higher secondary schools in the district to help students understand and analyse daily weather conditions in their respective areas.
