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Time of India
a day ago
- General
- Time of India
Writing class among slew of government initiatives to improve class 10 results in Karnataka
Bengaluru: Starting July, class 10 students of govt and govt-aided schools across the state will stay back an extra hour daily to attend a class focused on improving writing skills. The move comes after education department officials found that many students struggled to form even simple sentences in exams, despite knowing the right keywords related to the answer. To tackle this, the department of school education and literacy is launching a one-hour writing class. This is one of the 45 initiatives the department is rolling out to improve the dismal class 10 results in the state. Last year, the pass percentage in SSLC-1 was 62.3% — one of the lowest in the country. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru "One of the points noted by evaluators is the poor writing skills of students. Though a few keywords were present in the answers, students could not come up with sentences to express the answers. Henceforth, students will have a one-hour class after school to just practise writing," said a senior official. The department will release a standard operating procedure for how that one hour should be used — ranging from copying one paragraph from the textbook to writing homework, surprise tests, or just writing a paragraph randomly on any topic from each subject. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo A midterm holiday intervention is also planned for those students who require remedial and continuous support in exams. Parent outreach The department also plans to strengthen parent outreach programmes this year. A one-on-one parent-teacher meeting will be held every two months to sensitise guardians on the initiatives and progress of the child. Counselling will also be done for parents so there's appropriate and adequate home support for students. A half-day workshop will be held for parents by the headmaster and teachers in Sept to provide information on exam dates, subject paper details, and ensuring a stress-free approach from students to annual exams. Tracking attendance The department has also asked schools to track the attendance of SSLC students. In case a student misses more than seven classes continuously or in a month, there will be a mandatory house visit by the headmaster or subject teacher and two SDMC (school development and monitoring committee) members. The student and the parents will be counselled, and appropriate measures will be taken to get the child back to the classroom. The department will also involve the women and child welfare and RDPR departments, including the gram panchayat and urban local bodies for higher-level interventions, if need be. Wake-up calls While wake-up calls — teachers calling up students in the morning to wake them up — have been a practice in many govt schools, the department plans to roll it out from Sept in all schools. The department will also write to the health and family welfare department for health check-up of class 10 students by July. The department also plans to get everyone on the field, henceforth. All department officials will be given clusters of schools and PU colleges. Every Friday, they will have to spend time, without disrupting the school schedule, to understand the effect of various govt interventions, the teaching-learning process at school, and meet SDMCs to assess activities. In case there's a shortfall of officials, district-level and taluk-level officials from other departments will be roped in. Lesson-based assessment As reported by TOI before, this year on, there will be lesson-based assessment after the completion of each lesson, unlike the earlier practice of having two formative and two summative assessments.
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Demolition of Thiruvail govt school's old building opposed
Mangaluru: Parents, the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) and residents of a govt school in Thiruvail, Vamanjoor, have opposed the planned demolition of the school's old building, near an expanding highway. While the zilla panchayat cites safety risks, locals propose a retaining wall instead to save the school, which celebrated its centenary this year. The school is adjacent to the Mangaluru-Solapur National Highway-169 and was built in the 1960s. The old building has 10 classrooms, an auditorium, a smart class, and washrooms for boys and girls. The school has about 400 students who study in a newly constructed building, and the building to be demolished was abandoned after the new building was built. The school, which was on the verge of closure seven years ago with just 60 students, sprang back to life after several initiatives, and now provides education on par with private schools. Raghu Salian, a local contractor and alumnus, said that there is no immediate need to demolish the old building of the school; instead, constructing a retaining wall behind it would help it survive for a few more decades. The school building has served as a relief centre for flood victims, and hosted other activities. Salian mentioned that in the official correspondence of the panchayat, it has asked the school SDMC to demolish the old building. It has earmarked Rs 35,000 for the same, which has to be repaid after selling all the scrap from the building. "We are opposing this too. How can officials ask us to demolish and pay them? They should do it on their own and not us," he said. Salian further added that even if the officials still want to go ahead and execute the plan, they can do so, but alumni, locals, and parents have put some conditions before demolition. They are: SDMC will not do the demolition; the day after the demolition, a retaining wall has to be built across the school compound abutting the national highway; they should also build a washroom in advance, before the demolition and construction of new classrooms. "Constructing a retaining wall itself will cost around Rs 1 crore," said Salian. In fact, the demolition of the school was in the ongoing national highway project. Salian said after the request, NHAI officials were kind not to carry out any demolition, changed their plan, and also built a retaining wall. When contacted, ZP CEO Anandh K said that the old building was supposed to be demolished as per the NHAI plan, but was saved. However, they received full compensation for the same. Secondly, the decision to demolish the old building was taken after consultation with officials as the area around it is prone to mudslides. "The decision is taken keeping the safety of children and commuters," he stressed.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Century-old school struggles without permanent teachers despite good admissions
1 2 Mangaluru: The plight of the century-old Tenkayedapadavu Higher Primary School is different from that of usual govt schools in the district. Despite seeing good admissions, the school lacks permanent teachers. The aided school has been functioning without permanent teachers for the last two academic years. After the retirement of the headmaster, Krishna Naik, in May 2022, the govt did not appoint any teachers here, making it a teacher-less school since then. Currently, it is managed by guest teachers appointed by the SDMC and one through the Jnana Deepa programme. Prasad Kumar M, an SDMC member of the school, shared that the school will complete 100 years in 2026. In the past, the school had a total of over 500 students, which has now reduced to 54, studying from Class I to Class VII. "However, despite having a substantial number of admissions, the education department is unwilling to provide us with one or two permanent teachers. After the retirement of Naik, Sannolli UD, a teacher at the Sri Niranjan Swamy Aided Higher Primary School, Sunkadakatte, was deputed for a few days a week. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo After the retirement of the permanent teacher at Sunkadakatte, she stopped coming, and from last year, there has been no permanent teacher. Due to competition from English medium and private schools, the number of students has been declining year by year. In 2023-24, the number of students was 62, in 2024-25 it was 57, and in 2025-26 it was 54. "We have reached out to our MLA, DDPI, and BEO in the past, but no positive response was received. This academic year, we are again trying our luck to get a permanent teacher and save this school from closure. There is hope for more admissions if the govt appoints permanent teachers," said Kumar, adding that they have plans to open a kindergarten. With no permanent teachers, the school is managed by three guest teachers. With the cooperation of the SDMC and parents, two guest teachers have been working since 2018-19. They are paid by the SDMC, where money is collected from parents and locals. One teacher has been working under the 'Jnana Deepa' project of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP). "Whenever we approached govt officials, they stated that according to govt education policy, it does not appoint guest teachers for aided schools," said Kumar, demanding that aided schools too need to survive. HR Eshwara, BEO, South, said that the office has sent information about teacher-less aided primary and high schools to the govt. The process of teacher recruitment and appointment is ongoing, he added.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Ed-tech startup, IT firm to provide digital learning access to govt schools
Mangaluru: A city-based ed-tech startup, which has partnered with an IT firm, launched free digital learning access for 1,000 students in govt Kannada medium schools across Dakshina Kannada for the 2024-25 academic year. Cherrilearn, the ed-tech startup, partnered with CodeCraft Technologies, headquartered in Mangaluru, with offices in the United States and Canada. It is a CSR activity of CodeCraft Technologies. The initiative was formally inaugurated earlier this month with implementation in two govt schools in Uli village, Bantwal taluk, reaching 300 students in its first phase. The platform offers gamified, interactive, curriculum-aligned content in Kannada, designed for primary school students in rural areas, accessible even in low-bandwidth environments. The inauguration was led by Jobin Joseph PJ, operations lead at CodeCraft Technologies, and Shrinidhi RS, CEO of Cherrilearn, Sajna Bhaskar, human resource team lead at Cherrilearn, and other team members, in the presence of Vishalakshi CS and Purushothama, headmistress and SDMC president of Government Primary School, Uli, and Mamatha and Rohinatha Gowda, headmistress and SDMC president of Government Primary School, Ulibail. To ensure smooth implementation, the startup signed an official MoU with the department of school education & literacy, Dakshina Kannada, establishing a coordinated framework for deployment and monitoring in collaboration with school authorities. "This collaboration marks a significant step toward educational equity for rural learners," said Shrinidhi RS, founder of the startup. "We are committed to leveraging technology to empower students from underserved communities with the tools they need to succeed," he said. It aims to onboard one lakh students studying in govt Kannada medium schools across Karnataka during the current academic year through similar CSR-backed partnerships.
Borneo Post
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Call on relevant authorities to be transparent on Rantau Panjang Jaya restoration
Chiew (left) inspects the site affected by the landslide. SIBU (June 18): The relevant authorities should give the public clear updates on the current status of the Rantau Panjang Jaya restoration project. Democratic Action Party (DAP) committee member Stanley Chiew said the landslide at Rantau Panjang Jaya, which occurred five months ago, had taken a heavy toll on the residents staying at the affected stretch. 'Residents are still looking for answers but to date, there is still not development taking place, no updates, and everything just came to a standstill. Right now, they are all completely in the dark. 'The 38 residents affected by the landslide are still waiting in vain, hoping every day for reconstruction to begin so they can eventually repair their homes and return to their lives,' he told reporters during a site visit yesterday. Chiew said the residents wanted to know when the restoration project would begin, what stage it was in, how long it would take and when it would be completed. 'Before the Hari Raya celebrations, the relevant authorities visited the site and publicly pledged emergency funding had been approved. They promised restoration work would begin immediately after the festive season. 'However, even the Gawai Dayak festival has come and gone; the site remains completely silent with no signs of construction and no official updates whatsoever.' He said they also wanted to know when the lighting at Jalan Teku would be fixed. 'The landslide caused the closure of Seventh Lane's main exit, which significantly disrupted the daily commute for local residents. However, they have no choice but to rely solely on Jalan Teku for access. 'However, this road lacks proper lighting, leaving it pitch black at night. On top of that, potholes frequently appear, posing a serious safety risk — if an accident or closure occurs along Jalan Teku, residents here will have no other way to get out. If an emergency happens, help will be delayed and the situation could become very serious,' he said. Chiew said what was even more disappointing was that the affected area falls under the Nangka constituency, which is represented by Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee, and as a high-ranking official in the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) administration, he should actively work with the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) to get things moving. He said Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Michael Tiang also had an obligation to step in and coordinate efforts. 'Unfortunately, I have seen no proactive measures taken by any GPS state ADUNs/YBs in response to this issue, even though they are all part of the Sarawak government. 'Let me stress this clearly — the SDMC and its implementing agencies operate under the Sarawak government and the five GPS ADUNs in Sibu — Nangka, Pelawan, Bukit Assek, Dudong and Bawang Assan — have a responsibility to care for the people living here. 'Although this area falls under Nangka, the residents living here come from many different voting areas including Nangka, Pelawan, Bukit Assek, Dudong and Bawang Assan. They bought houses and moved here, but their voting address remains in their original constituencies,' he said. As such, he said elected representatives should not use constituency boundaries as an excuse to avoid responsibility. landslide lead Lorong Rantau Panjang Jaya restoration Stanley Chiew
