State-level academic master plan by June 15: Sivankutty

The State-level school academic master plan will be published by June 15, Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty has said.

He was speaking after performing the State-level inauguration of school cleaning programmes ahead of school reopening at Government Lower Primary School, Pangode, here on Tuesday.

The Minister said the 2025-26 academic year would be considered a year of comprehensive quality education. The aim of the quality education programme was to ensure that students attained learning outcomes for a class that year itself. There should be a clear idea of students’ performance so that they could be provided academic support without delays, he said.

Mr. Sivankutty spoke about the bridging programme that would be implemented as soon as schools reopened so that students returning after two months of vacations could go over what they had learnt the past academic year and make a smooth transition to the content they would need to study in the new academic year.

There was need to familiarise students with health, road safety, hygiene and cleanliness as soon as school reopened, he said.

He called for proper planning and implementation of Pravesanotsavam (school opening day fete), midday meal scheme, student transportation, environmental cleanliness, and campus safety measures. Review meetings should be held and instructions given to overcome problems.

Priority should be given to student safety in schools where construction work is on, the Minister said. Areas where work is on should be walled off using site screens or dust barriers. Student should also be kept away from any equipment used at such sites. The presence of workers should be regulated and their details noted by the contractor concerned in a register.

Boundary walls and signage should be erected around water bodies such as wells or ponds. Concerns over snakes or other such animals should be addressed.

District education officers or assistant education officers should deploy teams to ensure that directions related to school reopening were followed, the Minister said.