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The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
40 prisoners in Mandya write literacy exam under ‘Change through Learning' initiative
Marking a significant step in the government's initiative in rehabilitating prisoners, 40 inmates of the Mandya District Prison appeared for a literacy examination on Sunday under the 'Change through Learning' programme. The candidates include 37 men and three women who had undergone literacy training over the past one year. Many of these prisoners were illiterates, and had volunteered to take up reading and learning when the initiative was launched. Mandya Zilla Panchayat CEO K.R. Nandini oversaw the conduct of the examination. She underlined the transformative power of education in reforming lives. 'We must create awareness among inmates about the importance of education and also provide them with skill development training. This will help them reintegrate into society with dignity,' Ms. Nandhini said. She also inspected the facilities at the prison, including the women's barracks, drinking water supply, sanitation, library, and the prison's industrial unit. One of the elderly inmates, who shared his experience, recalled that his grandchildren were already going to school and made him wonder whether it made sense for him to take up learning at his age. But he was encouraged by his teacher Shivalingaiah who stressed the importance of reading and writing following which the prisoner continued with his learning. 'Today, I am able to read and write to some extent,' he said, while sharing his experience with the Chief Executive Officer. The authorities said that Mr. Shivalingaiah has taught 126 prisoners so far and hence they will impress upon the education department to recognise his efforts and felicitate him on Teachers' Day. Mr. Shivalingaiah was ridiculed by a section of his colleagues as he sought to teach prisoners, but he persisted and displayed rare commitment, the authorities added. According to Jail Superintendent T.K. Lokesh, inmates were given two hours daily for learning, with lessons based on the textbook 'Light for Life' under the programme, which aimed at teaching the prisoners to read, write, learn basic arithmetic, and general knowledge. In addition to the literacy programme, the prison also provided vocational training in areas like mushroom cultivation, cooking, plumbing, and motor repair. The prison library is well-stocked with over 18,000 books and subscribes to 13 newspapers, 45 weekly magazines, and other periodicals that are made available to the inmates. The library is also equipped with tables, chairs, and fans. The answer sheets of the literacy exam will be evaluated by the Mandya South Zone Block Education Office, and successful candidates will be awarded 'Neo-Literacy Certificates', the officials added.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Focus on enhancing learning outcomes, developing fundamental skills among students, Andhra Pradesh HRD Minister Lokesh tells officials
Andhra Pradesh Minister for Human Resources Development N. Lokesh has directed officials of the School Education Department to focus on Guaranteed Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FL&N) to develop fundamental skills in reading, writing and mathematics among students. Addressing a review meeting attended by officials of School Education, Samagra Shiksha and Intermediate Education departments, Mr. Lokesh said it would help improve district and State-level rankings of the government schools. He said teachers should be motivated to enhance learning outcomes. He wanted the officials to maintain utmost transparency in selecting candidates for 'Best Teacher' awards to be given on the occasion of Teachers' Day on September 5. 'Aa-Aa' programme He said STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) activities should be effectively implemented in the government schools through Atal Tinkering Labs. The Minister discussed steps to strengthen the High School Plus system. He enquired about the admissions in the first year of Intermediate courses in government junior colleges and directed the officials to implement the Akshara Andhra (Aa-Aa) literacy programme effectively. Secretary, School Education, Kona Shashidhar, Commissioner of School Education V. Vijay Rama Raju, Samagra Shiksha State Project Director B. Srinivasa Rao, and Director of Intermediate Education Kritika Shukla were among others present. Later, at a review meeting with the officials of the Skill Development Department, Mr. Lokesh directed them to complete the Skill Portal being developed to connect youth with industry opportunities by August as it was scheduled to be launched on September 1. Job fairs He said the District Employment Officers would be renamed as District Employment and Skill Officers, job fairs would be organised every three months in every constituency and international employment opportunities should be facilitated through OMCAP (Overseas Manpower Corporation of Andhra Pradesh). He wanted support guidelines to be created for those seeking employment abroad to avoid exploitation and a helpline (0863-2340678) and WhatsApp number- 8500027678 should be made available for any issues faced by job-seekers going abroad. Managing Director and CEO of Skill Development Corporation G. Ganesh Kumar, Director of College Education N. Bharat Gupta, Adviser, International Skilling and Mobility, Seetha Sharma, and APSSDC Executive Director K. Raghu were among others present.
Straits Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Forum: Managing school closure days remains a challenge for parents
Find out what's new on ST website and app. A s a working parent of three primary school-going children, I am grateful for the many ways Singapore supports families. That said, many parents, including myself, face challenges managing school closure days that fall outside official public holidays with our limited parental leave entitlement. Each year, schools close for days such as on Youth Day, Teachers' Day, Children's Day, the day after National Day, and PSLE marking days, which last for four days. In addition, there are occasional early dismissals and home-based learning days, where students stay home and often require parental supervision, especially for younger children. These can easily add up to seven or more working days a year, not counting regular school breaks. Currently, working parents receive only two days of extended childcare leave annually when the youngest child is between seven and 12 years old. This often falls short in meeting caregiving needs. Many parents cope by using annual leave or relying on family support, but this can be difficult for those with multiple children or limited help at home. Perhaps the relevant ministries can consider reviewing ways to better support parents. These could include increasing childcare leave and looking at ways to limit school closure days that require parental supervision. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Las Vegas Sands' new development part of S'pore's broader, more ambitious transformation: PM Wong Singapore Economic headwinds do not dampen outlook for new Marina Bay development: Las Vegas Sands president Business MAS records net profit of $19.7 billion, fuelled by investment gains Singapore Man charged with attempted murder of woman at Kallang Wave Mall Singapore CDL's long-time director Philip Yeo to depart after boardroom feud Singapore Ex-cleaner jailed over safety lapses linked to guard's death near 1-Altitude rooftop bar Life The Violinist, Singapore's first animated historical film, set for August 2026 release Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years Such thoughtful adjustments would help working parents manage their responsibilities at home and at work, making it easier to raise families in Singapore while balancing career commitments. Low Wen Wei
Hindustan Times
14-07-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
With over 14 cr saplings left, state to continue plantation drive
Having planted 37.21 crore saplings in one day (July 9), Uttar Pradesh still has over 14 crore saplings left in its nurseries and officials say many of these will be planted in the next one month. (Pic for representation) 'The specialty forests in urban areas such as Atal Van, Triveni Van are being developed and plantation is being done. In fact, the next over four weeks are very good for plantation and we will share saplings for any such initiative,' said Dipak Kumar, nodal of the Mega Plantation-2025 and senior forest officer. Each of the 75 districts are developing urban forest pockets named Atal Van, Triveni Van, Eklavya, Ekta, Shaurya Van, and Oxy Forest to bring people close to nature. On an average, 1,600 saplings are being planted on one hectare land in these forests. Miyawaki Forest is also part of such development, but plantation here is dense compared to other forests. Though not all left over saplings will be planted, a large number of saplings are expected to be utilised till September 5 when plantation will be done on Teachers' Day. 'Some saplings are not fully grown and hence they will be kept in nurseries for next year's plantation drive. The saplings we are planting are at least 5 feet and better up to 7 feet in height,' said Naveen Khandelwal, divisional forest officer Sitapur. Good height of saplings makes them grow faster after plantation and keeps them safe from animals who come for grazing. Roughly 12 crore saplings might be left over for plantation next year. They will be nurtured in 1912 nurseries under the forest department.
New Straits Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Education Ministry outlines seven measures to ease teachers' workload
PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry has outlined seven measures aimed at reducing teachers' workload, including scrapping low-impact school events and appointing members of the public as examination invigilators. Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the matter had been a priority since the start of her tenure, stressing that the long-standing issue required a comprehensive solution. "The Education Ministry, through recommendations made by the National Education Advisory Council (MPPK), has outlined seven measures to ease the burden on teachers. "The initiatives include scrapping low-impact school events and reducing the frequency of school management reviews under the Malaysian Education Quality Standards (SKPM)," she said in a Facebook post today. In addition, she said teachers had been given flexibility in recording student attendance, Teachers' Day celebrations would be limited to the national and school levels, and the Daily Lesson Plan (RPH) summary would include only the objectives, teaching content and reflection. Fadhlina said the ministry had also taken steps to strengthen teacher autonomy in planning and implementing the teaching and learning process, as well as classroom assessment. "The initiatives have shown significant successes, including the appointment of over 11,000 examination invigilators from among members of the public, thus reducing the teachers' workload. However, they need to be further strengthened to ensure a comprehensive impact on all teachers," she said. Fadhlina also urged all state education departments, district education offices and school administrators to ensure the effective implementation of the initiatives, while the education director-general was tasked with ensuring that all initiatives proceeded as planned. "Reports must be presented to me and the Education Ministry's senior management every three months, and I demand full commitment from all levels of education leadership to jointly address the issue of teachers' workload," she said. In a separate development, Fadhlina urged the Public Works Department and the Fire and Rescue Department to conduct a detailed investigation into the fire incident involving an office room at Sekolah Menengah Agama Persekutuan (SMAP) Kajang, Selangor, early this morning. She emphasised that matters concerning school safety must not be taken lightly. "We are deeply concerned about the safety issue. The fire must not be taken lightly, as it involves not only safety but also affects the conducive environment needed for students," she told reporters after the 2021/2022 Hadiah Sastera Perdana Malaysia (HSPM) presentation ceremony here today. Fadhlina said the ministry had taken swift action by channelling initial funds for cleaning and restoration works in the affected areas to ensure the learning process of students was not disrupted. "We are thankful that no casualties were reported. All school administrators must ensure that the school environment remains safe at all times," she said. Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations Ahmad Mukhlis Mukhtar was reported as saying that firefighters managed to extinguish the fire at 1.18am and that the cause of the incident was still under investigation.
