Girls first, education minister proposes new reforms in schools

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Education Minister V Sivankutty has proposed another reform for schools in the state. The minister said that from the next academic year onwards, girls' names should be called first while taking the attendance in classes. The minister made the new proposal while participating in an Onam program of a media.

The minister had recently said that he wanted to remove the concept of backbenchers from school classrooms. He informed this via a Facebook post. No child should be left behind in studies or life. He also said that our goal is to ensure equal opportunities for all children.

The minister's suggestion to shift the school vacation to June -July was also much discussed. The school days are reduced due to holidays given during heavy rains in June and July. It is in this context that the minister had clarified that he was considering changing the vacation.

The minister's directive that not even a single child in the school should be excluded from the study trip due to lack of money, was also widely welcomed. The current situation is that school trips are being turned into mere excursions. Some schools charge a huge amount for this. This is not affordable for financially backward students and causes mental distress for them. Therefore, the minister has directed that school trips be arranged in a way that is accessible to all children.