Kerala to reduce Class 10 syllabus by 25 per cent, says Education Minister Sivankutty
Kollam (Kerala) (PTI): Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty on Saturday said that the syllabus in Class 10 textbooks will be reduced by 25 per cent from the next academic year.
The minister was addressing students after handing over the keys of a house constructed for the family of Mithun, a student who died after being electrocuted at Thevalakkara Boys High School here last year.
Sivankutty said students frequently complain about the heavy academic workload, and considering this, the state government decided to take necessary steps.
"In next year’s school textbooks, 25 per cent of the syllabus will be reduced from what exists in the current books. The curriculum committee has already approved the decision," he said.
He clarified that the textbooks' content would not be altered.
Mithun had died after accidentally coming into contact with an electric line near the school premises.
The key-handover ceremony for the newly constructed house was jointly carried out by Sivankutty and Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal.
Earlier in the day, Sivankutty wrote on Facebook that Mithun had dreamed of a good house for his family and had even drawn the dream home on the walls of their small dwelling.
"Today, that dream stands fulfilled with the completion of a new house named ‘Mithun Bhavanam’, though the absence of the child continues to cause deep sorrow," the minister said.
He praised the Kerala State Bharat Scouts and Guides for taking the initiative to fulfil Mithun’s wish.
Without collecting any money from students, the organisation constructed a 1,000-square-foot house within six months at a cost of Rs 20 lakh, he said, calling it a model and humane intervention, he said.
"The house stands as a tribute to the boy’s memories and a reminder of our collective responsibility towards children and their dreams," Sivankutty added.
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
