THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Tuesday announced sweeping changes to school infrastructure, saying each new school building being built in the state from now will have elevators and air conditioners.
The public works department will be instructed to compulsorily provide fans in all classrooms and air conditioners in major rooms of such buildings, he said.
“Elevators will be provided in schools having more than three floors, and ramp facilities will be deployed for students with disabilities. All these will be included in the building plan itself,” Sivankutty said after chairing a high-level meeting.
The minister also said necessary action will also be taken to evade the ‘backbencher’ seating arrangement in classrooms. This apart, district-level inspections should be held to ensure no student is exempted from taking part in school excursions due to financial constraints, Sivankutty said.
Other announcements included allowing the students to dress as per their wish on birthdays and during celebrations, and reading the Preamble to the Constitution in the special assemblies.
Sivankutty also said people can suggest names for the newly announced accident/life insurance being extended to schoolchildren by the state government. “A special action plan will be implemented for time-bound execution of files in the department. The progress will be evaluated directly by the education director and additional director, who will then hand over a report to the government,” he said.