Minister Sivankutty: 30 per cent marks should in year-end tests from Class V to IX

In reply to allegations of declining general education standards, a high-level meeting of the General Education Department has decided to implement a minimum marks scheme from Class V to IX. This was revealed by Education Minister V Sivankutty at a press meet in Kozhikode on Saturday.

It had been agreed earlier that students should get at least 30 per cent marks in the year-end Class VIII exam, subject-wise, and that students failing to achieve it should be promoted to the next class by providing special study assistance during holidays.

This proposition attracted considerable social attention. Students, teachers and parents were made aware of the significance of the study support. In addition to this, we also were made aware of the significance of attaining the learning goals in each class. This is not an activity that one should undertake after the end-of-year examination, according to the minister.

For Grades V to IX, 30 per cent marks in subject-wise written examinations. It is not meant to limit or screen out children's brilliance to 30 per cent but to take all the children up to the level of acceptability prescribed by the curriculum.

Department of education level monitoring will be managed to support project implementation. The issues will be trained at the state level to Deputy Directors of Education, DEOs, AEOs, DIET Principals, Vidyakiranam District Coordinators, and Samagra Shiksha Keralam District Project Coordinators. The concerned education officers will provide training to the head teachers of schools under their circle.

All the head teachers of government schools in Kerala will be trained by July 15. Cluster training on July 19 has also been scheduled involving all teachers in school-level activities of the overall quality education programme, early identification of the learning status of the students, and providing necessary learning support.

Revised textbooks for Special Schools

This year, for the first time in state education history, a decision was made to prepare and distribute special textbooks for special deaf school children. The books were prepared under SCERT guidance considering the special abilities of the children. Release and distribution function will be held on June 30 at Government Vocational Higher Secondary School for the Deaf, Jagathy, Thiruvananthapuram.

HEAD TEACHERS MUST ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY OF MID-DAY MEAL SCHEME

Meanwhile, the minister again emphasized that head teachers must also assume the responsibility of the controversial modified menu of the mid-day meals scheme such as vegetable fried rice, lemon rice and vegetable biryani. "The schools can raise funds from the CSR fund, NGOs and individuals to implement the project.".

The headmasters have to manage such tasks and they get a salary for that. Purchasing goods on credit and paying them later is a routine affair. No head teacher will go into debt to provide for children," the minister responded, in response to head teachers' complaint that there is not enough government financial support available to run the midday meals scheme.

PTAs in schools to be strengthened

The government is seriously considering making the Parent Teacher Associations of public schools stronger academically. As part of curriculum reform, it has been planned to prepare books for parents and provide orientation accordingly. The Department of General Education is going to conduct district-level, state-level art and sports competitions for PTAs this year in order to enable parents to become active participants in school activities. Minister Sivankutty also criticized the Union Government in the context of the fund crisis in Samagra Shiksha Keralam schemes.

"If interventions/activities being performed by Samagra Shiksha Keralam are not carried out, a situation will be achieved where a major portion of children from backward classes will not be able to get into school. Samagra Shiksha Keralam is implementing a centrally sponsored scheme.". Though Kerala is funding this, the Centre has stopped the funds stating the state has rejected the PM SHRI scheme. The students of common people and marginal classes would be affected by this," Sivankutty alleged.