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The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has increased the courses offered under its 'School Connect' Program. While two courses, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and Electronic Systems, were previously available, the programme now offers 10 online hands-on certificate courses for students of Class 10, 11 and 12 from schools across the nation. The courses will be for a period of eight weeks.

The registration process for the August 2025 batch is already open, and schools can register and admit their students at code.iitm.ac.in/schoolconnect/ by July 25.

Emphasizing the vision of the institute towards school interaction, Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, stated, "At IIT Madras, we are of the opinion that early exposure to future areas of interest can trigger curiosity and create future innovators. By empowering students in an early stage, we are building a nation for the future."

The School Connect Program is an outreaching flagship program by Centre for Outreach and Digital Education (CODE) at IIT Madras to connect school education and higher education.

This program empowers students in schools — particularly those studying in Classes 10, 11 and 12— to discover new areas and make informed choices regarding their future academic and professional trajectory. Assignments and an optional project will be part of the courses for a hands-on experience.

These programs are conducted in three batches during the current academic year in August, October, and January so that schools and students can take up to three courses a year.

The Courses available are:

1. Introduction to Data Science and AI
2. Introduction to Electronic Systems
3. Introduction to Architecture & Design
4. Fun with Math and Computing
5. Math Unplugged: Games & Puzzles
6. Introduction to Ecology
7. Introduction to Engineering Biological Systems
8. Introduction to Law
9. The Fundamentals of Aerospace
10. Humanities Unplugged

The Institute, in a release made in this connection stated that it would soon be introducing more short-term programmes in different disciplines to familiarize students with different areas of study. "Such programmes will provide students with a special chance to find out about different career streams and acquire first-hand experience about their academic paths in the future," it further added.

In a matter of pride for the state, Odisha jumped to 5th rank in the national School Education Performance Grading Index (PGI 2.0) of the country, a record jump from its 14th rank all the way back in 2019. Odisha's score of 595.6 has also earned it win the PRACHESTA-3 grade for the academic year 2023-24, the state's rising commitment towards quality education.

Underlying this achievement is Odisha's innovative 5T policy — Technology, Transparency, Teamwork, Time, and Transformation — that has in just a short while given a facelift of sorts to some 7,000 schools. It was the result of the collective efforts of teachers, parents, education officers, and supporting staff, as stated by ex-Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who proclaimed, "The 5T initiative has brought a sea change in Odisha's school education."

What particularly impresses Odisha in this year's rankings is its showing under the 'access' category, where it came in at the upper range (941–1000) over states like Kerala, otherwise high placed in school education indicators. It is a measure of the reach and inclusiveness of schooling that reflects Odisha's very high priority for enrolment of students, retention, and building of infrastructure.

State's rise in rankings is not mere numbers — it's the story of collective action, visionary leadership, and systemic change. From improved classrooms to enhanced teacher education and data-driven decision-making, Odisha is changing school education in India.

As Odisha continues the building momentum, education insiders think that the state will soon be a national model for public school reform. The PRACHESTA-3 ranking not only confirms the achievements to date but also presents higher opportunities for policy innovation and student-focused development in the coming years.

Following the district's poor performance in the State Level Achievement Survey (SLAS), the Coimbatore School Education Department has launched a focused action plan to bridge learning gaps and improve academic achievement among primary school students.

The response is being given in primary and middle schools, with the aid of the Diets Institute of Education and Training (DIET), the New Indian Express reported.

According to TNIE, an education officer stated that students have been divided into four learning levels under this scheme – A, B, C, and D – as per their performance.

"On this basis, teachers will put more focus on C and D category students. Their pedagogy will focus on understanding concepts rather than mugging up. Teachers must first make their reading and writing skills very strong," he added.

"After this, headmasters will check students' learning outcomes twice a week. Second, Block Resource Teacher Educators (BRTEs) and Block Educational Officers (BEOs) will monitor students' assessment reports and also observe students. In order to monitor this, two blocks have been assigned to the educational officers and senior lecturers in DIET. Lastly, the Chief Educational Officer and the principal of DIET will check students' learning outcomes with headmasters once in a month," he added.

He also pointed out that officials will implement ongoing monitoring and assessment of student performance as per the action plan, with special emphasis on schools that had weaker results.

The district of Coimbatore was at the bottom in the State Level Achievement Survey (SLAS), leading to the quick implementation of the action plan. The Thondamuthur and Sulur blocks were among the weaker performers.

The SLAS test, carried out at the state level some months ago, included students in Classes 3, 5, and 8 to review levels of learning, the sources said.

Taking a major initiative towards inclusive education, Telangana SC and ST Welfare Minister Adluri Laxman on Tuesday declared that every private and corporate school in the state will have to allocate 25% seats to students belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities.

The minister spoke at a press conference that the admissions would be entirely funded by the state government in the proposed scheme. Eligible students would be chosen by the district collectors to guarantee transparency and accountability to the process.

This is a significant step towards offering equal educational opportunities to disadvantaged communities," Laxman said. "We intend to close the socio-economic gap by mainstreaming students from marginalised groups.

Emphasizing the government's increased emphasis on welfare schemes, Laxman also stated that the pending bills worth ₹210 crore concerning residential schools and hostels were settled. He expressed gratitude to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka for giving importance to releasing the long-pending funds, which created logistical issues for welfare institutions.

In order to further help students, the government intends to float tenders for the purchase of necessary school items, such as uniforms, shoes, and books, for students pursuing education in SC/ST welfare schools and hostels.

Responding to concerns following recent suicides among students in residential centers, Laxman accepted the gravity of the situation. "There are various factors — ranging from family pressures to social media impacts. We are determined to put preventive strategies in place," he stated, although no details were provided on steps to be taken.

With this new mandate, Telangana becomes the second state to actively promote balanced education, perhaps setting the stage for more sweeping reforms in the private education system.

To ensure each child is in school, the state government is initiating the 'School Har Din Aaye Abhiyan' (SHARDA) from July 1.

A statewide survey of households in the academic session 2025–26 will be taken up to locate and bring children back to formal schooling.

The process will be executed in two phases, with the first survey spanning from July 1 through to July 31, and the second spanning Aug 16 through to Sep 15. Every rural and urban household, even slums, brick kilns, mines, hotels, tribal areas, and migrant populations, will be covered by the survey to locate and register children between 6 and 14 years of age. Children never enrolled or absent for over 30 days, with fewer than 35% marks on yearly examinations, will be counted as dropouts. Such children will be shifted to age groups and provided specialized training. School-based teams such as headmasters, teachers, Shiksha Mitras, instructors, BTC trainees, NGO volunteers, and other staff from the department will be tasked with carrying out the survey. The areas will be allocated among teams to facilitate comprehensive coverage and prompt documentation of each child's information. 

Eligible children will undergo rigorous, curriculum-aligned training, with baseline testing through the SHARDA app. Quarterly tests will be conducted in Oct, Jan, and Mar 2026. Abbreviated textbooks and required study materials will be delivered by trained nodal teachers and volunteers.

Migrant children will be given migration certificates to make enrolment easier in new places. Teachers will make home visits and parent-teacher contacts to monitor attendance and retention. Besides, poor children will be connected with social welfare programs to stabilize their education.Basic education minister Sandeep Singh stated, "The Uttar Pradesh govt believes that education is a right and a guarantee for every child's future. Our goal is to ensure no child is left out of school."

The Chandigarh government has revamped the School Mentorship Programme under the National Education Policy (NEP). Under the initiative, distinguished personalities from various walks of life including administration, medicine, academia and entrepreneurship will serve as mentors for 42 government senior secondary schools in the city.

The initiative, focused on long-term community-based work, will start this month when schools reopen following the summer holidays. Every mentor will 'take over' a school and regularly engage with students, providing advice, encouragement, and introduction to a wide range of careers.

Among them are the top officials of the UT administration, such as acting UT director general of police Pushpendra Kumar, deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav, and home secretary Mandeep Singh Brar, who have all been allocated schools.

Academicians of repute such as Panjab University registrar YP Verma, Nandita Shukla Singh (department of education, PU), and staff from institutions such as IISER and NIPER, Mohali, will also be acting as mentors. Some of the experts from departments of community medicine and psychiatry have also been included, with PGIMER director Dr Vivek Lal mentoring Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS), Dhanas.

The program also introduces top entrepreneurs, such as Taranjeet Singh Bamra, CII Chandigarh chairperson, past CII chairmen Sarvjeet Virk, SPS Grewal, and Manish Gupta, and Bharti Sood, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry regional director. Educationist Dr Madhu Chitkara and entrepreneur Naveen Manglani also figure among the mentors.

Elucidating the format, UT director of school education Harsuhinderpal Singh Brar, who is also mentoring GMSSS Dhanas, said, "The programme is meant for regular, monthly interaction. Mentors need to go to schools minimum once a month, engage with students, attend parent-teacher meetings and act as role models. Their work will be non-administrative, namely only advisory, support and inspirational."

Names and pictures of the mentors will be put up in the respective schools to symbolize their affiliation.

"At present this scheme is limited to senior secondary schools but we are planning to give it a larger scale to all schools. We will also bring in more mentors based on the response from the first phase of this scheme," Brar said.