Latest news with #GeneralEducation
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Kerala effects major bureaucratic reshuffle, creates Chief Operating Officer post for Wayanad township project
The Kerala government on Wednesday (July 30, 2025) appointed an IAS officer as Chief Operating Officer, Township Project Wayanad, after creating an ex-cadre post for a period of one year. The post is also declared equivalent in status and responsibility to the cadre post of Deputy Secretary to Government in the Senior Time Scale of IAS under Rule 12 of IAS (Pay) Rules, 2016. Arun J.O., Director, Backward Classes Development department, is transferred and posted as Chief Operating Officer, Township Project Wayanad, while Harshil R. Meena, Sub Collector, Kozhikode, is transferred and posted as Director, Environment and Climate Change, after creating an ex-cadre post for a period of one year. In addition, the government has effected a major bureaucratic reshuffle transferring around two dozen senior IAS officers. K. Vasuki, Secretary, Labour and Skills department, is transferred and posted as Secretary, General Education department. Shanavas S., Director of General Education, is transferred and posted as Special Secretary, Labour and Skills department. The officer will hold the full additional charge of the post of Director of Panchayats. Abdul Nasar B., Special Secretary, Fisheries department, stands relieved from the additional charge of Special Secretary, Minority Welfare department. Sheeba George, Additional Secretary, Revenue department, is transferred and posted as Additional Secretary, Health and Family Welfare department. Chithra S., Additional Secretary and Officer on Special Duty, Local Self-Governments department, is transferred and posted as Additional Secretary, General Education department. The officer stands relieved from the additional charge of Additional Secretary and Officer on Special Duty, Local Self-Governments department. Geetha A., Joint Commissioner, Land Revenue, is transferred and posted as Additional Secretary, Revenue department. The officer will hold the full additional charges of Commissioner, Housing and Secretary, Kerala State Housing Board, and Director, Kerala State Nirmithi Kendra. Geromic George, on return from study leave, is posted as Principal Director, Local Self Governments department. Umesh N.S.K, District Collector, Ernakulam, is transferred and posted as Director of General Education. The officer will hold the full additional charge of Managing Director, Kerala Financial Corporation. V. Vigneshwari, District Collector, Idukki is transferred and posted as Additional Secretary, Agriculture department. The officer will hold the full additional charges of Deputy Project Director, Kerala Climate Resilient Agri-Value Chain Modernisation Project (KERA) and Director, Centre for Continuing Education Kerala. John V. Samuel, District Collector, Kottayam, is transferred and posted as Director, State Water Transport department. Priyanka G, District Collector, Palakkad, is transferred and posted as District Collector, Ernakulam. Madhavikutty M.S., Deputy Secretary, Health and Family Welfare department, is transferred and posted as District Collector, Palakkad. Chetan Kumar Meena, Additional Resident Commissioner, Kerala House, New Delhi, is transferred and posted as District Collector, Kottayam. Dinesan Cheruvat, Director of Panchayats, is transferred and posted as District Collector, Idukki. Nizamudeen A., Mission Director, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, is transferred and posted as Director, Kerala Institute of Local Administration. The officer will hold the full additional charge of Managing Director, Impact Kerala. Sreedhanya Suresh, Inspector General of Registration, is transferred and posted as Additional Director (General), Tourism. The officer will continue to hold the full additional charge of Director, Samoohika Sannadha Sena and Kerala Youth Leadership Academy. Aswathy Srinivas, Managing Director, Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited, is transferred and posted as Additional Resident Commissioner, Kerala House, New Delhi. The officer will hold the full additional charge of Director, Kerala State Insurance department. Meera K., Sub Collector, Fort Kochi, is transferred and posted as Director, Survey and Land Records department. The officer will hold the full additional charge of Inspector General, Registration department. Puneet Kumar, Resident Commissioner, Kerala House, New Delhi stands relieved from the additional charge of Additional Chief Secretary, Local Self-Governments department. Mithun Premraj, Sub Collector, Ottapalam, is transferred and posted Joint Commissioner, Land Revenue. The officer will hold the full additional charge of Secretary, Land Board. Misal Sagar Bharat, Sub Collector, Mananthavady, is transferred and posted as Deputy Secretary and Officer on Special Duty, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes Development department. The officer will hold the full additional charge of Director, Backward Classes Development department. The service of Jayakrishnan V.M., Sub Collector, Devikulam, is placed at the disposal of Food and Civil Supplies department for being appointed as Managing Director, Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited. The service of Ranjith D., Sub Collector, Kottayam, is placed at the disposal of Local Self-Governments department for being appointed as Mission Director, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The service of Apurva Tripathi, Sub Collector, Perinthalmanna, is placed at the disposal of Local Self-Governments department for being appointed as Chief Executive Officer, Life Mission. The officer will hold the full additional charge of Mission Director, AMRUT. Furthermore, upon completing the Assistant Secretaryship Programme for the IAS Professional Course Phase II training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, the officers of the 2023 batch are posted as Sub Collectors in the Revenue Divisions. The officers posted include Anjeet Singh (Ottapalam), Atul Sagar (Mananthavady), Ayush Goel (Kottayam), Arya V.M. (Devikulam), S. Gautham Raj (Kozhikode), Grandhe Saikrishna (Fort Kochi), and Sakshi Mohan (Perinthalmanna).
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
Kerala student's electrocution: Thevalakkara school manager dismissed
The government has dismissed the manager of Thevalakkara Boys High School, in Kollam district and entrusted the District Education Officer (DEO) with the school's administration. A Class VIII student had died owing to electrocution from an overhead power line inside the school on July 17, 2025. Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty told mediapersons in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday (July 26, 2025) that a report of Director of General Education (DGE) Shanavas S. had found grave dereliction of duty on the part of the manager R. Thulasidharan Pillai. Electrocution of school student: Kerala government orders inquiry Earlier, the school headmistress Suja S. had been suspended from service after the Kollam Assistant Education Officer (AEO) visited the school and found lapses on her part in ensuring safety of the students. Mr. Sivankutty said the government could take over the school's management as per Section 14 of the Kerala Education Act, 1958, if it appeared that the manager had neglected to perform his duties. The school management, particularly the manager, had failed to ensure student safety as part of school reopening arrangements. The death of Midhun from electrocution was prima facie the result of lapses on the part of the manager in discharging his responsibilities as per Kerala Education Rules (KER) Chapter III Section 9. Accordingly, the manager had been issued a show-cause notice by the Kollam AEO as per KER Chapter III Section 7. His reply stated that there had been no deliberate lapses on his part in ensuring students' safety and that he had tried to discharge his duties properly. However, the manager's reply was found to be unsatisfactory and he was deemed unfit to hold the post of manager of Thevalakkara boys and girls high school. 'The Kollam DEO would act as the manager for the smooth administration of the school till a new appointment was made,' Mr. Sivankutty said.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- New Indian Express
Thevalakkara student electrocution death: Govt dismisses manager, takes over school administration
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Following the death of a Class VIII student due to electrocution at High School for Boys, Thevalakkara in Kollam, the government has dismissed the manager of the aided school and entrusted administration of the institution to the District Education Officer (DEO). General Education Minister V Sivankutty told reporters here on Saturday that as per a report by the Director of General Education, there was serious dereliction of duty on the part of the manager R Thulasidharan Pillai. The manager has been removed as per Section 14 of the Kerala Education Rules (KER), 1958, he added. Last week, Suja S, the headmistress of the school was suspended from service after Kollam assistant education officer (AEO) visited the school and found lapses on her part in ensuring safety of the students. Senior Mathematics teacher G Molly was given the responsibility of headmistress. Midhun, a Class VIII student of the school was electrocuted on July 17 while trying to retrieve a footwear that had fallen from the roof of a bicycle shed on the school premises. The incident evoked widespared protests with the Opposition calling for a comprehensive safety audit in schools.
New Indian Express
18-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Kerala to take strict action in Thevalakkara student electrocution death case; family to get house, aid
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Department of General Education will take strong action in the incident where Midhun, a Class 8 student of Thevalakkara Boys High School in Kollam, allegedly died after being electrocuted on campus, said Minister V Sivankutty. The decision comes after the department received a detailed report from the Director of General Education. The minister announced a series of steps to ensure accountability and prevent similar tragedies in the future. The school headmistress will be suspended with immediate effect. A show-cause notice will be issued to the school management for allegedly failing to act on safety lapses. The management has been asked to respond within three days. The Additional Educational Officer who was in charge of the school at the time will be asked to provide an explanation. Since the District Educational Officer of Kollam had retired when the academic year began, AEO Antony Peter had been given the DEO's additional charge. The department will use powers under Rule 7 of Chapter 3 of the Kerala Education Rules to take further action against the management if necessary. The minister also urged the management to seriously consider providing financial assistance to Midhun's family.
Business Wire
10-07-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
University of Phoenix College of General Studies Leadership Publishes White Paper on Student Retention and Success
PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- University of Phoenix College of General Studies Dean Briana Houlihan, MBA, and Associate Dean Jacquelyn Kelly, Ph.D., have published a new white paper, 'How an Undergraduate Health and Wellness Course Improved First Year Student Success and Retention,' detailing the success of testing new course sequences to support first year student progression. 'Our working adult learners bring varied experiences and circumstances to their educational journey,' shares Houlihan. 'Serving them where they are in their journey, with all the associated work and life demands on their time, means we assess constantly to identify successes and opportunities to best support them. This is especially critical in the first year when they really need to experience progress as motivation.' In the white paper, Houlihan and Kelly detail the College study that moved a high-pass-rate health and wellness course earlier in the student journey in order to improve second course pass rates, all while maintaining or improving progression and pass rates in the two subsequent courses. The positive outcomes of the testing led the College to change the first-year course sequence, and the white paper describes how, six months post-change, improved outcomes persist. 'An innovative design for one of our 100-level health and wellness courses led to a hypothesis that the course content and design, focused on improved well-being practices and increased understanding of accommodations options, could contribute to student preparation and course outcomes,' shares Kelly. 'Our tests show that it is possible to improve first-year student outcomes by closely assessing their experience and making informed, strategic decisions about which courses students take and in what order.' The College of General Studies provides courses that emphasize the development of durable, career-relevant skills that are essential for academic and professional success, including the 'Phoenix Success Series,' a group of general education courses that help prepare students for college and career with foundational learning in balancing time across high priorities, writing with purpose, critical thinking, and academic ethics. As Dean for the College of General Studies at University of Phoenix, Houlihan is responsible for all academic operations impacting students, including curriculum, programs, faculty, student support and resources, and academic policies. She has served non-traditional online learners in higher education for over 22 years, holding positions in Student Services, Academic Affairs, and College Operations. Houlihan recently presented at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) General Education, Pedagogy, and Assessment Conference on the effective mapping of General Education curriculum to learning outcomes to allow maximum flexibility in course selection. Houlihan holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a Graduate Certificate in Project Management from University of Phoenix. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kelly is Associate Dean of the College of General Studies where she translates STEM education research into best practices for curriculum design in science and math courses. With more than 15 years of experience in science and math education, Kelly has served as principal investigator and co-principal investigator of multiple federal grant projects to develop science education support for rural area K-12 teachers and to develop student government science officer roles in K-12. Kelly's previous positions include science teaching, teacher evaluator for the county education service agency, and program director for professional development programs for science and math educators. Kelly earned her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Science Education and her master's degree is in Materials Science and Engineering from Arizona State University. Her undergraduate degree is in Physics and Chemistry from California State University, San Marcos. . University of Phoenix innovates to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant courses, interactive learning, skills-mapped curriculum for our bachelor's and master's degree programs, and a Career Services for Life® commitment help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives.
