Teacher issued show-cause notice for punishment at Cotton Hill school
The General Education Department has issued a show-cause notice to a teacher accused of administering corporal punishment to students at the Government Higher Secondary School for Girls, Cotton Hill.
General Education Minister V. Sivankutty, who addressed media persons here on Sunday, said the action was taken based on a report submitted by the District Educational Officer to the Director of General Education.
The incident took place a few days ago when a teacher allegedly locked a group of Class 9 students in a classroom and made them to do sit-ups as punishment for leaving the room when the national anthem was being played. The incident came to light when the students missed their buses for their return trips.
Mr. Sivankutty said the teacher had promptly apologised and was reprimanded for her conduct. Emphasising such incidents must not be repeated, he urged teachers to refrain from using any form of physical punishment and called for an end to such 'primitive' practices.
Referring to the collapse of the compound wall at Government Upper Primary School, Chala, a day ago, the Minister said an inquiry is under way into the incident. Assuring a thorough investigation, he added any negligence on the part of the City Corporation in removing trees from the area would be probed.
Mr. Sivankutty said teachers or parents should not be compelled to raise funds for such infrastructure activities.
He also told media persons that he was yet to receive the report on the closure of eight government aided schools in Kannur. Assuring that the facts behind the closures would be made public within a week, he reiterated the government's commitment against closing down public schools.
According to him, a detailed audit of student numbers of public schools is currently under way and the data would be published within two weeks. The government had no qualms in divulging such data, he said.
While the allotment process to Plus One seats has been proceeding smoothly, any issues that persisted after the third allotment round will be addressed in an appropriate manner, he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Gazette
6 hours ago
- India Gazette
"Such objections will inject poison more deadly than drugs": Kerala Minister defends Zumba in schools
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], June 28 (ANI): Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty on Saturday strongly defended the inclusion of Zumba dance in schools, stating that raising objections to such activities would inject poison that is more deadly than drugs into society. Responding to the criticism, Minister Sivankutty said, 'No one has asked children to wear minimal clothes. Children are wearing school uniforms and performing this.' 'Engaging in sports will help in developing mental and physical vitality, health and positive thinking in children. This will have a positive impact on their studies and personality development. Therefore, it is essential to encourage such healthy activities,' the minister stated. He added that Zumba and other physical activities played a crucial role in developing children's mental and physical health, and encouraged positive thinking and personality development. The Minister also referred to the Right to Education (RTE) Act, saying, 'According to RTE, children must participate in the learning processes prescribed by the government. Parents have no choice in the matter,' he clarified. On the role of educators, he stressed that teachers were bound by the directives of the education department. 'According to the conduct rules, the teacher is obliged to do what the department prescribes,' Sivankutty said. He further warned that communalising such issues would disrupt Kerala's long-standing tradition of social harmony. 'In a society like Kerala, where people live together in harmony, such stances will only encourage the majority communalism,' he added. His remarks came after the state Education Department recently planned to teach Zumba in all schools as part of efforts to drive students away from drug abuse and violence, and to improve their physical and mental fitness. Last year, ahead of the start of the current academic year, the Education Department provided training to teachers as part of their annual refresher programmes. Earlier in the day, Muslim groups in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram raised strong objections after the state education department introduced Zumba dance in schools, stating that they couldn't accept girls and boys intermingling, dancing together, or wearing minimal clothing. The move, as part of its anti-drug campaign, aimed at helping students manage stress through physical activity, drew criticism for allegedly promoting indecent intermingling of boys and girls. The backlash began after TK Ashraf, a teacher and General Secretary of the Wisdom Islamic Organisation, posted on Facebook that he and his son would not participate in the programme. 'Cannot accept this, and my son and I will not participate in this,' Ashraf wrote in a brief but direct statement opposing the initiative. Soon after, Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama leader Nassar Faizy Koodathai also posted, calling the Zumba sessions inappropriate and a violation of students' rights. (ANI)
The Hindu
10 hours ago
- The Hindu
Zumba in schools: Government will not backout, says Sivankutty
Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty has said that the government will go ahead with the decision to provide Zumba classes in schools at all costs. Responding to the recent allegations made by some Muslim outfits that they were against the introduction of Zumba in schools on grounds that it was against their religious beliefs and culture, the minister said that the government was open to talks. 'No one has asked the children to wear skimpy clothes while performing Zumba. They will be wearing their school uniforms. And participating in the educational activities prescribed by the government is mandatory. The guardians have no choice in the matter', the minister told reporters here on Saturday. The activities such as Zumba, aerobics and Yoga are being introduced in schools as part of the anti-drug campaign. The opposition coming out now could be more harmful than drugs. Instead of improving the education sector, it will only nurture communalism and separatism, the minister added. He said that sports persons from different countries take part in sports events such as Olympics in the prescribed dress code. What is happening in the schools is light exercise though and the children will be wearing their uniforms, he added. Mr. Sivankutty reminded that the progressive organisations in the country had stood with the Muslim community during the issues such as the 'Hijab row', as they believed in democratic values. But the stand taken by some organisations against Zumba at present will turn out in support of majority communalism. He then explained the benefits of children engaging in physical activities such as sports and dance. He said it would be beneficial to them mentally and physically and aid in their personality development. The Minister also spoke on some recent allegations against the education department. Responding to a recent article in a Malayalam daily that said that there were middlemen in the department who ensured permanent appointment of differently abled persons for a price, Mr. Sivankutty said that the Director of General Education has been entrusted with the task of conducting an inquiry on the allegation. 'However, since it is a false allegation, the government will take legal action against those who made it', he added. He also spoke on the recent casual observation of the Kerala High Court of corruption in the department. The Minister said that it was far-fetched and that the department was ready to take action if any one had complaints and could furnish proof.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Kerala education sector yet to get Rs 1,500 cr funds from Centre: Minister Sivankutty, ET Education
Advt Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals. Subscribe to Newsletter to get latest insights & analysis in your inbox. Get updates on your preferred social platform Follow us for the latest news, insider access to events and more. Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Wednesday said that everyone has to unite to ensure the state gets the Rs 1,500 crore from the Centre meant for its public education at a meeting of student organisations, convened to discuss the issue, Sivankutty claimed that the Centre has withheld the funds, including for the Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) initiative, on the ground that the state did not sign the PM Shri scheme, a statement issued by the minister's office minister said that various steps, including legal action, were being considered to get the funds as two meetings with the Union Education Minister to seek allocation of the funds had no said that Kerala has not accepted the PM Shri scheme as one of the requirements was to implement the various recommendations in the National Education Policy with which the state was not in to reporters after the meeting, the minister said that powers and duties of the Governor and the period of Emergency that the country went through have been made a part of the said that, as announced earlier by the government, the role of the Governor has been clearly mentioned under the heading -- 'Confrontations in the Indian Federal System' -- in the chapter titled 'Democracy as an Indian Experience' in the second part of the 10th class social science powers and duties of the governor are also clearly explained in it, he that, in the same chapter, under the title 'The Emergency: A Crisis in Indian Democracy', details of the Emergency period in 1975 have been mentioned, he said. PTI
