THRISSUR: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the rising menace of drug mafia would be fought back through means that ensure public participation.
Inaugurating the state-level ‘Praveshanolsavam’ marking the reopening of schools after summer vacation at Government Higher Secondary School, Chembuchira, on Thursday, Pinarayi said the growing clutches of drug mafia on education institutions would affect the future of the younger generation and such activities would be opposed through awareness programmes with the participation of the public.
“As part of the initiative to protect public education system, tremendous changes were implemented in government schools. But aided schools are yet to benefit from it. We should not allow aided schools to remain isolated. Hence, local self-government bodies should ensure their attention and support to such institutions,” he said.
The Chief Minister also welcomed the move to include swimming lessons in the curriculum.
New admissions were welcomed with eco-friendly hats made of palm-leaves and new bags and umbrellas.
Two children hit by speeding car on way to school; hospitalised
Kollam: Two children, who were on their way to school for ‘Praveshanolsavam’, were hit by a speeding car at Eram Junction, Anchal, on Thursday morning. Their mothers and the one-and-a-half-year-old sibling of one of them were also injured in the accident. Six-year-old Bismi and Noorjahan are Class I students of Eram Government LP School. Bismi and her sister Sumaya sustained serious injuries and they have been admitted to SAT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
Their mother, along with Noorjahan and her mother, was admitted to the Anchal Mission Hospital. The condition of Bismi and Sumaya is stable now. Bismi, who had suffered a head injury sustained a skull fracture and no other internal injuries have been reported, said an SAT Hospital official. According to witnesses, the victims who were walking towards the school, were hit from behind by a speeding car at 10 am. The Anchal police took the vehicle and the driver into custody. The 60-year-old woman who was driving the car has been admitted to Parakkattu Hospital, Anchal, owing to high blood pressure, said a police officer.
Implementing Khader committee report: UDF MLAs, MPs boycott Pravesanolsavam
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said that UDF MLAs and MPs have boycotted the ‘School Pravesanolsavam’ in protest against the unilateral implementation of the Khader Committee report which will have long-standing repercussions. He said that the people’s representatives of the UDF boycotted the ‘Pravesanolsavam’ throughout the state. The Opposition leader said that the Khader committee report was Tuglaqian reform which would lead to placing teachers of the general education system in two layers as well as reducing the quality of secondary education.
He said that even after repeated demands of the UDF that the Khader committee report be implemented after consultations and detailed discussions with political party leaders, education experts and teacher leaders and bringing in adjournment motion in assembly, the government is unilaterally implementing the report. The He said the people’s representatives of UDF were boycotting “Pravesanolsavam” as a mark of protest.