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In a shocking incident, it has come to light that a baby boy was born inside the toilet of a government residential school in Karnataka's Yadgir district by a Class 9 girl. The girl and the infant are in stable condition and being treated at the Shahapur Government Hospital, officials confirmed.

The delivery reportedly took place on Wednesday afternoon, but the matter came to light only the following day, raising questions about the response and accountability of school authorities and local health officials.

Notifying the incident, the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) directed a detailed investigation. Commission member Shashidhar Kosambe, who made the trip to the school on Thursday, raised concern regarding the failure to monitor the health of the student and instructed the filing of a suo motu case against the school's principal and staff.

"More and more such incidents are coming to us in the state, which is unfortunate. The health officials here should have carried out monthly check-ups, but where lapses seem to have taken place. We have instructed the DCP, Yadgir, to go to the school, register a case, and submit a detailed report by tonight evening. Action will be initiated against all concerned," said Kosambe.

The incident has enraged child rights campaigners and observers of education, who insist that it is an indicator of institutional failure in the protection of students in residential institutions. Many contend that even with child protection protocols in place, laxity at the grassroots level makes vulnerable learners susceptible to abuse and neglect.

At the same time, the school administration has been severely criticized for not reporting the incident to the Commission immediately. The KSCPCR has also held health and education officials accountable for not detecting the girl's condition when she was screened in the course of regular medical checks.

The authorities added that a further investigation will ascertain how the pregnancy escaped detection and if the girl had been sexually assaulted. Police and child protection officers have been instructed to counsel the mother and newborn, as well as ensure their safety.

The incident is the latest addition to a mounting list of child protection issues in Karnataka, with issues still raised over the effectiveness of monitoring systems within schools.

At least 21 teachers of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and polytechnics have been chosen for National Teacher Awards, 2025 for their excellent work, the Ministry of Education announced on Tuesday. As per the ministry, in 2023 it was decided to unveil two categories of the awards -- one for HEIs and the other for polytechnics.

21 are selected teachers from polytechnics, state universities

"The 21 selected teachers belong to polytechnics, state universities and Central Higher Education Institutions. The choice has been made on the basis of the performance of the teacher as judged against the parameters like teaching, learning effectiveness, outreach activities, research and innovation, sponsored research, faculty development programmes and consultancy teaching. Of the abovementioned, learning effectiveness and outreach activities have the heavy weightage," the ministry stated in a release.

Here's how these teachers were selected

Procedure for selection of National Awards to Teachers (NAT)-2025 is two-stage process-- scrutiny by preliminary search-cum screening committee for shortlisting of the nominees first and selection of the awardees from the shortlisted nominees by a national jury.

NEP 2020 recognizes that empowered, dynamic and capable teachers are required for the advancement of the students, institution and the profession. It also envisions incentives such as reward and recognitions to enable a culture of excellence in the education ecosystem, the statement said.

View all about selected teachers

Two of the selected teachers each belong to Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Apart from this, one teacher from each of the places of Puducherry, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bengaluru, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, and New Delhi have been selected for the awards, the ministry added.

Jharkhand school children from next year, 2026, will study the life and struggle of "Dishom Guru" Shibu Soren through eight books from Classes 1 to 12. The state School Education and Literacy Department has decided to incorporate chapters on the veteran leader in eight textbooks.

The choice, the officials explained, is to enable the young generation to grow up with Jharkhand's own heroes alongside national leaders. Soren's life would be taught through simple anecdotes and stories at the primary level, whereas upper classes would address issues of tribal identity, social reform, contributions to parliament, and the statehood movement for Jharkhand.

The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) have begun working on the material. Subject specialists will develop the content for different age groups, along with project work and activities to inject interactivity into learning.

Education Secretary Umashankar Singh said the programme has been designed to instill values of honesty, struggle, and social commitment.

Dishom Guru Shibu Soren gave a distinctive identity to Jharkhand. His fight, his ideology, and his belief in the rights of people will make the coming generation proud," he added.

The political establishment has also weighed in. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) hailed the move as “historic,” describing it as a recognition of both the leader and the state’s identity. Party leader Mithilesh Thakur wrote on X that the decision would give children not only a textbook chapter but also a moral compass: “Guruji’s struggle and legacy will guide future generations.”

The step has also precipitated bigger controversy regarding the role of local icons within education. As much as they see it as overdue recognition of a giant figure in Jharkhand's historical past, critics are bound to question whether the step clouds the line between education and politicized legacy-holidaymaking.

For Jharkhand students, though, the inclusion provides a more concrete connection to their state's roots, its struggles, and the leadership that shaped its destiny.

1.38 lakh students are being given education in 479 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) for tribal children being run across the country, Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday.

Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, in his response, stated besides 288 EMRSs sanctioned under Article 275(1), 440 more EMRSs have been planned across the nation, taking the sanctioned number of EMRSs to 728, out of which 479 have been reportedly made operational up to June 2025.

He briefed that a non-governmental organization National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) has been established under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for administration and implementation of EMRS scheme in co-ordination with State EMRS Societies.

The Minister told that in Union Budget 2018-19 it was announced that for providing quality education to tribal children in their native environment, EMRS' would be established in every block with over 50 per cent Scheduled Tribe population and a population of 20,000 minimum tribal population (as per Census 2011).

Oram also apprised that certain steps had been taken towards filling infrastructural gaps in EMRSs through accelerating the construction, improving quality monitoring mechanisms, and arranging essential facilities such as hostels, classrooms, and staff quarters in a timely manner.

He also stated that the cost of construction of EMRSs was upgraded in 2021–22 to Rs 37.80 crore for plain areas and Rs 48 crore for hilly regions (from erstwhile Rs 20 crore and Rs 24 crore) for 440 new sanctioned schools.

The Minister also stated that in order to rectify the problem of dropouts among the students and facilitate retention, NESTS, under State governments, has been proactive in engaging the tribal population in admitting them to EMRSs by raising awareness about the schools by participating in camps and outreach programs.

Among the measures included are assisting tribes by constructing school buildings in most distant locations and establishing vocational courses to enable pupils to acquire skills that will remain relevant in the labor market.

Part of the effort to make school education employable, the Uttar Pradesh government is set to introduce a 210-hour skill building program for students from Class 9 through 12 in government schools, officials stated on Thursday.

The program falls under 'Project Praveen', which is part of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 by the state and will be provided for free. The course covers 150 hours of foundational skill development, 30 hours of soft skills, and 30 hours of industrial visits—all of which are now compulsory modules for the students enrolled.

The announcement was made at an online session conducted by Pulkit Khare, Director of Uttar Pradesh Skill Development Mission (UPSDM). CEOs and members of Sector Skill Council (SSC) have attended the session and are responsible for planning and implementing the modules.

This is a big leap towards bringing vocational training at par with formal education," Khare added. "It will expose students to practical experience as also learning and push them towards actual jobs.".

The course content will be customized according to local industry requirements and student choice. District magistrates will identify the concerned sectors in the relevant areas, and the SSC has been instructed to prepare the content accordingly. The UPSDM plans to implement the programme by the 2025–26 academic year.

Government school students will be provided with industrial visits for the very first time in their curriculum, enabling on-the-job training and practical exposure to working environments. The scheme, the press release further stated, would ensure "employment-oriented education" and equip students with life skills like communication, team work, and professionalism.

The officials said that the program is one piece of a bigger initiative to overhaul secondary schooling and prepare students with both the academic knowledge and the skills necessary to compete in the modern workforce.

A huge fire engulfed the hostel of Government Girl's Residential School situated under Bariatu Block in Latehar on Monday morning. The blaze was so intense that all the beds and other items of everyday living stored in Hall No. 5 of the hostel were reduced to ashes.

All 240 girl students, who study in the school, are secure. Instead, they extinguished the fire with the assistance of the school staff without taking any assistance from the district administration.

"It is all because of their action that the fire did not spread any further, otherwise the whole school would have been on fire," a local Rajeev Kumar said. They brought water from the handpump in the area and quenched the flames by spilling water on it, he said.

After receiving the information, District Education Officer Prince Kumar hurried to the scene to assess the situation. Prima facie, the fire was said to have originated from short circuit, but the issue is being probed considering all sides. All the girls are safe as nobody has been injured in the accident, he said.

Kumar also added that the staff and the teachers of the school are also absolutely secure. The beds stored in the hostel and other items stored in the room have been destroyed, he added.

Alternate arrangements are being made for the girl students' stay in the meantime.

As per the students, the smoke was observed coming from the hostel while all they were out to the ground to go for PT classes. Before anyone could realize anything, the smoke developed into fire within a few minutes and spread to a room in Hall No. 5 of the hostel, where the girl students' beds were stored.

"All the bed on the room were totally burnt. But on receiving news about the incident, some villagers also arrived there and attempted to douse the fire on their own level. But the fire was extremely ferocious that everything was reduced to ashes," an anonymous student said.

Thank God that they had gone out of the hostel for PT; if the accident had happened one hour earlier, there might have been a huge loss of life as well, she added.

The school is now operating in a very outdated building and the school's new building is under construction for the past 5 years; there is an immense lack of space in the hostel. Also, the electric wires have become outdated.