Kerala becomes first state to mandate robotics education for all class 10 students
Thiruvananthapuram, May 18 (PTI): In a pioneering initiative, Kerala has emerged as the first state in the country to make robotics education mandatory for all 4.3 lakh students of class 10, starting from the upcoming academic year on June 2.
The integration of robotics into the tenth-grade ICT textbook, specifically the sixth chapter titled "The World of Robots" in the first volume, will empower students to explore fundamental robotics concepts through engaging activities, an official statement said on Sunday.
These include circuit construction, utilising sensors and actuators, and controlling electronic devices using computer programming, K Anvar Sadath, CEO of KITE and Chairman of the ICT Textbook Committee, said in a statement.
KITE is the technical arm of the General Education Department of the Kerala government.
It has already distributed 29,000 robotic kits to high schools across the state to ensure the effective implementation of this curriculum.
"This ambitious initiative builds upon Kerala's prior success in making Artificial Intelligence (AI) learning accessible to all seventh-grade students, another national first achieved in the previous academic year," Sadath said.
Demonstrating a continued commitment to future-ready skills, AI learning has now been incorporated into the ICT textbooks for grades 8, 9, and 10 as well.
The practical experience gained from the robotics curriculum piloted for Little KITEs (Kerala's IT club for students) has been instrumental in shaping this comprehensive rollout for all class 10 students, the statement further said.
The initial hands-on activity in the textbook challenges students to utilise components from the provided robotic kits – such as Arduino breadboards, IR sensors, servo motors, and jumper wires – to construct an automated sanitiser dispenser that activates upon detecting a hand, it said.
Progressing further, students will also delve into creating AI-powered smart home automation systems, including face-recognition-enabled smart doors.
To facilitate this, they will utilize the 'Face Detection Built-in Model' within the Pictoblocks software's programming IDE, leveraging webcams on laptops and Arduino kits supplied by KITE to program door-opening mechanisms.
KITE's innovative robotics learning approach is designed to equip students with the skills to address a wide range of practical problems through cutting-edge technologies.
KITE has already conducted the first phase of training on the new tenth-grade ICT textbook for 9,924 teachers.
Sadath said dedicated robotics training for teachers will be organised in July.
Furthermore, KITE will ensure the availability of additional robotic kits, extending support to unaided schools following the state syllabus that may require them.
The ICT textbook is being provided to all students in Malayalam, English, Tamil, and Kannada mediums, the official added in the statement.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
