Talent labs and green campuses are among proposals aimed at enriching the education sector announced in Governor P. Sathasivam’s policy address in the Assembly on Friday.
The Education Department proposes to establish talent labs in schools to develop models for enhancement of talent in students, the Governor said.
The government will launch green campuses, a new scheme for creating eco-friendly campuses equipped with solar power plants, windmills, biowaste treatment, and rainwater harvesting systems.
It will be implemented by the Kerala Suchitwa Mission with the involvement of teachers and students.
In a bid to assist children who need special care, the department plans to launch teacher-oriented sensitisation programmes for early detection and intervention and counselling of students with mental health problems and behavioural disorders.
Pointing out that the government launched the Public Education Rejuvenation Mission in 2016, the Governor said enrolment in government and aided schools had increased since then. The government aimed to organise a State-level teachers’ congress, he said.
The Kerala Differential Aptitude Test (K-DAT) would be organised in 250 nodal schools to determine the fields of interest among higher secondary school students.
In the higher education sector, the Governor, in a reference to the proposed State assessment and accreditation centre (SAAC), said the Kerala State Higher Education Council would regularly assess universities and government-run and aided colleges and self-financing educational institutions. All universities would be encouraged to start two innovative programmes this year, he said.
With an eye on improving the employability of students, the Higher Education Department also aimed to start internship programmes in industry for students possessing engineering and polytechnic backgrounds.
