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Telangana High Court on Thursday sternly criticized Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC) for tardiness in finalizing engineering college fee structures for the next academic year. The court queried why no decision was taken by June, despite the fact that the proposals were submitted as early as December 2024.

Justice K Lakshman, who listened to the petitions last Thursday, was unhappy about the repeated delays in deciding on fees and called it a "mockery" that is repeated every year. "By the time counselling is over and classes begin, the fee issue is still pending," the judge added. The judge further added that colleges approaching court at the eleventh hour had become the order of the day.

Several engineering colleges protested against the government rejection of fee hike suggestions by these last-minute petitions. Senior advocate Avinash Desai, appearing on behalf of the colleges, stated proposals were submitted in December 2024 and cleared during a meeting in March. He argued that the proposals were duly entered into the committee register and sought it be produced in court. Justice Lakshman directed the officials to bring the register forthwith.

Senior counsel Sriraghuram, appearing for TAFRC, had submitted that in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court, colleges should not be operated in the spirit of generating profits. He further pointed out that because time was of the essence, the committee had recommended that the existing fee structure over the "block period" (2022–23 to 2024–25) be extended to the 2025–26 academic year.

Special Government Pleader Rahul Reddy also opposed the increase, pointing out that some colleges were seeking a fee increase of as much as 70%. He warned that it would be a significant financial burden on the students and affect almost 1.5 lakh students in the state. The court indicated that it would issue interim orders on the fee increase on Friday. It also directed the registry to put the petition of Keshav Memorial College before a different judge.

In a heart-warming tale of determination and common aspirations, a Hidayath Nagar, Poolakkad-based couple—Abu Thahir and Thasleema—turned up hand-in-hand for the Plus Two Malayalam Paper ii equivalency exam on Thursday, rekindling long-standing dreams they thought they had left behind.

Abu Thahir, 40, had dropped out after finishing SSLC. Thasleema, 30, who had hoped to study more, had to shelved those plans upon marriage. But fate had something else in store. goaded by close friends and a mutual wish to learn, the couple made up their minds three years ago to join the classroom once again, this time as a couple.

"I teach Arabic at the Sunni Madrassas in Poolakkad and Cholode. Taking the decision as a couple strengthened us. Learning together at home kept us on track - our talks turned into revision, and the common goal became a daily inspiration," Abu Thahir said.

Their return to education was aided by the Kerala State Literacy Mission. The couple has attended Sunday equivalency classes at Moyan's School in Palakkad for the past two years, diligently attending class, clarifying their doubts, and motivating each other in the process.

On Thursday, school bags over their shoulders and hope in their hearts, the couple entered the Pandit Mothilal Government Model Higher Secondary School, Palakkad, to begin a new chapter in their life story.

They sat their Malayalam Plus Two equivalency exam side by side not only as students, but as each other's biggest support system. Having previously cleared all subjects in the Plus i equivalency exams, the couple comes to this step with added confidence. Parents to three school-going kids in Classes 8, 4, and 2, they are now empowered role models—showing everyone that it's never too late to learn.

In an effort to narrow the gap between the industry and the academia, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed among Bajaj Steel Industries Ltd, Tulsiramji Gaikwad-Patil College of Engineering and Technology (TGPCET), and GH Raisoni College of Engineering (GHRCE), together with The Institution of Engineers (India), Nagpur Local Centre (IEI-NLC). The initiative inaugurates 'Industry Powered Ginning Expert Course' aimed at imparting practical expertise, industry experience, and greater employability among engineering students in the agro-industry sector. Satish Raipure, chairman of IEI-NLC, in his welcome address stressed the need for such alliances to raise a generation of engineers who possess practical and applied knowledge pertinent to contemporary industrial requirements. Dr JF Agrawal, in speeches, said that this MoU is intended to adopt a well-framed curriculum specific to the real-time challenges and demands of the ginning industry.

Dr MK Sharma asserted, "The ginning industry is suffering from acute shortage of technically skilled manpower. This MoU caters to the urgent need for hands-on training to empower young engineers to contribute meaningfully from day one." Dr Sachin Untawale, director of GHRCE, emphasized, that such collaborations are the need of the hour to industry-prepare our engineering graduates."

Dr PL Naktode, TGPCET principal, told that the institute is dedicated to providing an integrated learning process, which combines innovation, research, and industry application. This MoU will not only be advantageous for students, but will also improve the agro-industrial sector of Vidarbha. In his presidential address, Dr MB Daigavane praised the move, and added that state govt and directorate of technical education (DTE) have always promoted intensive industry-academic interaction.

The ceremony was wound up by formal signing and exchange of the MoU documents, and thereafter a vote of thanks given by Dr MR Shukla. Dr Snehal Abhyankar had conducted the programme.

Morning used to be a mad rush to school for Amit, a 2nd class student of a government primary school in the Kakori block in Lucknow on the city's outskirts. Just 200 meters from his residence. 

Morning school hours are to be changed, courtesy of the Uttar Pradesh government's new school consolidation plan. Amit's school and a few schools are to be merged with a school in a neighbouring village two kilometers away.

Walkable distance, Amit confesses.

"Now my father will drop me at school on his scooter. The catch is he is not there always," he says.

Allahabad administration initiated a state program to "match" low-enrollment schools with a priority for sharing funds, enhancing infrastructure, and concordance with the vision of National Education Policy 2020.

The newly reactivated Allahabad High Court policy has resulted in the clustering of more than 10,000 of the 1.3 lakh state-owned primary schools, officials claim.

The school clustering concept is the grouping of small schools with less than 50 students and locating them close to the nearby existing schools to provide a localized learning environment.

"The idea is to bring teacher training, school infrastructure and other study material under one umbrella," Deepak Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary Basic Education, said in an interview with PTI. "These are more productive use of school infrastructure, smart class technology and material. It's a matter of envisioning a more rich, better learning environment for children." These are already in the process of being implemented in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh officials say that they are implementing tried models.

Kumar had termed the exercise a "transformational structural reform" that would lead to a decentralized network of rural schools. "Small schools were equated with teacher-student isolation. With twinning, we are attempting to introduce peer learning, good governance, and priority to quality education again," he added further.

The move has been made after a decline in the state government primary and upper primary schools post-Covid-19 pandemic.

A record 1.92 crore children had enrolled in the Basic Shiksha Parishad-run schools for the year 2022-23. It declined to 1.68 crore in 2023-24, and for 2024-25, it had declined to 1.48 crore.

In the ongoing 2025-26 session, the enrollment numbers are around a paltry 1 crore.

Deputy education department officers found that in such colleges where the enrollment and attendance are not good, there is a huge scope that students will dropout either mid-way through the academic session or session completion. 

This would be more students in a class enrolled by incorporating it in training. With more resources, not only will dropouts be less but it will also get added to school enrollments, officials affirm.

Recently, Allahabad High Court dismissed a string of writ petitions challenged against the government notifications of June 16 and 24, 2025.

Thepetitioners have also alleged that amalgamation would cause children to walk one kilometre to reach school, which would be in contravention of Article 21A of the Constitution and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), 2009.

Bengaluru was gripped by panic on July 18, 2025, after around 40 private schools received bomb threat emails, leaving hundreds of students and parents and school staff in panic mode over the issue. The emails, which were similar to the threats that various Delhi schools had received earlier in the day, actually boasted that bombs had been installed in the classrooms, causing panic and terror throughout the city.

The threatening emails were with cold warnings and with aggressive language The emails were sent from the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.'. The mail not only claimed that several explosives, specifically Trinitrotoluene (TNT), had been skillfully hidden in black plastic bags within the classrooms, but also issued explicit death threats. 

The sender of the email wrote, "I will erase every last one of you from this world. Not a single soul will survive. I will gladly laugh when I watch the news, only to see the parents show up at the school and to be greeted by the cold, dismembered bodies of their children." The message went on to express deep hostility and despair, mentioning an intention to take their own life after the threats made headlines, and venting frustration towards mental health professionals. The explicit and graphic nature of the content heightened anxiety, making the threats feel even more real to those affected.

Due to the timely detection of the messages, school authorities shifted into high gear to notify the police and commence evacuation of students and employees of involved campuses as quickly as possible. Parents received urgent calls and rushed to school gates, where they waited anxiously to get information as the stand by authorities took command.

Police and Bomb Disposal Squads as well as dog squads rushed to all targeted areas. Each site was searched thoroughly using security checks, classroom by classroom searches and also searches along the perimeter. The right protocols were followed and nothing suspicious was detected, according to the later confirmation of a senior official with the police force, it was also declared as a hoax.

After no explosives were found, the schools remained under a high security status for a few hours, with tightening of the access control programs and frequent contact made with parents and personnel bodies to prevent panic. They were also evacuating through the school zones and traffic jams were reported in some areas.

This is being called out as a hoax threat because a similar situation happened in Delhi, earlier this week, in which more than 20 schools had similar threat emails during the same day. Both cities had to activate the emergency resources, which directly indicated the trend of a synchronized hoax bomb threat to educational facilities. 

Such cases have been observed to be on the rise in major Indian cities leading to general distress, emotional disturbance and a burden on the emergency services as observed by the police. Officials have indeed confirmed that similarities existed between the emails used including content, the sender, which meant that there could be a connection or copycat activity across the regions.

Can this be a way to make the public and government indifferent to such threats? Or is it a strategy to trigger soft panic throughout the country? Experts haven’t spoken on these regards yet. 

Having no real explosives discovered in any of the schools of Bengaluru, the police stated that all the threats are taken as a hoax, yet they are taking the overall situation very seriously. Special teams dealing with cybercrimes are currently on their way to track where the emails really came from and track the violators in association with national agencies due to the interstate trend.

The police have received appreciation by the school authorities for their fast response and their professionalism in their tasks, and also at the same time it has served as a reminder by the school authorities to both the students and their parents that panic during such a scenario is not needed and to abide with official announcements for the correct information.

What can be done by Parents and Students if such a thing happens again?

1. Keep relaxed and report anything suspicious you see or hear to authorities.
2. Obey and comply with the instructions of authorities in schools and police in times of emergency.
3. Teach kids safety measures and the necessity to avoid sharing rumours or dubious news.
4. Wait and go by reliable sources of information, by the police as well as the school authorities before taking any action.

Bengaluru is coming back to normal as the day seems to have gone after a traumatic morning but the event has revived the debate around people regarding the requirement of effective digital threat monitoring and increased security provision in schools. There is the revision of protocols in the hands of police, and the parent associations have demanded that in the long run there must be protection against such hoax threats and have an undisturbed future of the students and the families living in the city.

This incident confirms the relevance of vigilance, coordinated response to emergency, and responsible response to the population in regard to cyber-enabled risks to education security. Nobody was killed, students were not hurt, but the community spirit to fight these evil interventions has never been as strong. 

On 14th July, an order by the Uttarakhand government was passed directing all government schools in the state to mandate the recitation  of Shrima Bhagavad Gita shlokas during the morning assemblies. This initiative is a part of an ambitious mission of amalgamation of traditional Indian knowledge with modern education to promote values such as self-discipline, leadership, and emotional balance among students. 

The significance of Gita Shlokas in Schools

The initiative aligns with the National Education Policy 2022, which advocates the integration of India's knowledge systems with modern education. It is expected to deepen the values and sense of culture in the students. The Bhagavad Gita, as per the directive of the government, gives rise to the human values, emotional stability, decision making and the leadership principles.  

How Will it Work? 

As per the order insured on Monday, each day one verse of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita is to be recited during the morning assembly. The teachers must relate the meaning of the shloka and the scientific or philosophic significance behind it to the students so that they get the meaning in the context and some values of the shloka. The teachers each week will choose one of the Shloka, put it on the school board with translation and meaning and train the students to recite the Shloka throughout the week. The selected shloka shall be discussed in the classrooms at the end of the week and all the students will be given a chance to share any thoughts and views, which will encourage learning and participation.   

Objectives and Expected Benefits

What Did The Higher Authorities Say About This Move? 

Dr. Mukul Kumar Sati, Director of Secondary Education said, “It should be ensured at every level that the teachings of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and their scientific approach are used for character development, self-control, balanced life approach, personality growth, and to make students better citizens.” This statement indirectly creates a demand for better teachers in the state who, like ancient gurus, focus on value-teaching rather than a biased one. 

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered changes in state curricula to mix old scriptures and new curriculum and he expects textbooks in line with his vision by the next academic year.

Also, the education Minister, Dhan Singh Rawat, said that until the revised textbooks are in place, each student will keep reciting verses of both Gita and Ramayana in daily prayers as a wider curriculum upgrade.

Community Response

The initiative of the Uttarakhand Government schools has been welcomed by various community leaders and people with diverse backgrounds, who support the idea of such teachings creating unity and belonging among learners. Some teachers and members of the civil society have also come forward with their critical voices as concerns raised towards the constitutional principle of the secular education system and the inclusion of children of all faiths. 

However, as per the directive, the move is said to be solely a value adding initiative and not a religious move. Indians are well aware of what the Shlokas in Gita are about; the shlokas only  talk about human psychology, way of living, moral duties, and ideal lifestyle instead of imposing the mythical or religious perspective on hindu God worship. People who have actually read Gita with the help of an ideal guru (as emphasised in the Indian Knowledge system) are well aware of Gita being a human psychology and lifestyle text instead of some religious book. 

The Effects That This Will Have on Students

Memorizing a shloka and talking about it will be part of the daily routine of all the students in all government schools. It is hoped that regular interaction with these philosophical verses will enable the development of confidence, concentration and ethical thinking. Also, students will have a first hand look at the classical literature and philosophical tradition of India in an action-oriented, value-based format. 

Recording of the shloka is a part of the assemblies in schools and does not increase academic tasks. It is universal lessons in ethics and character rather than proselytizing, the emphasis being on learning. The pending NCERT integration so far amounts to expecting its text books incorporating Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana henceforth in the next academic session. 

To the parents and students of Uttarakhand, this new move may imply increasing the significance of a value based education and cultural anchorage with their normal studies. Follow news of the school and formal curriculum changes as the policy is introduced to ensure a holistic learning process for all the students.