From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, May 22: The distribution of free bicycles to students studying in Class 8 would be continued despite the paucity of funds, chief minister B S Yediyurappa declared in Bengaluru on Friday, May 22.
He was reviewing the performance and progress of the primary and secondary education department at his home office, Krishna.
The CM directed the officials to continue the free bicycle distribution scheme, which was first started by the BJP government in 2006-07 for girl students studying in government secondary schools and which was subsequently extended even to boys.
The disruption of industrial and commercial activity on account of the lockdown following the COVID-19 pandemic has seriously affected the resource mobilization and also the need to extend financial benefits, reliefs and concessions to the vulnerable sections besides supply of food grains, the chief minister noted.
Yediyurappa advised the officials to accord priority to the improvement of educational standards in the Hyderabad, Mumbai and Central Karnataka regions and the Kalyana Karnataka areas in northern parts of Karnataka.
The chief minister disclosed that the state government has amended the cadre and recruitment rules to enable engineering graduates in the recruitment of teachers so that the lack of science and mathematics teachers was addressed.
Raichur and Yadgir districts were eligible for special grants from the Centre due to the educational and economical backwardness of the region, he said expressing hopes that the standard and quality of education in the northern Karnataka region would improve in the coming years.
The chief minister mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent closure of educational institutions across Karnataka had seriously impacted the education department as examinations could not be conducted and even running classes was a big challenge.
Preparations for SSLC Exams from June 25:
The state government was examining the situation as to how the classes in schools and colleges could be conducted in the post-coronavirus lockdown situation.
Education minister S Suresh Kumar said the SSLC examinations in the state would be conducted from June 25.
As barely 18 to 20 students would be allowed to answer examinations in a class as against the earlier 25 students per class. He also asserted that over 8,000 additional classrooms would be made use of this year and consequently the vigilance and other requirements would have to be stepped up considerably.
The classrooms for answering examinations will be fumigated and sanitized, Suresh Kumar said and indicated that all the students appearing for the SSLC examinations would be supplied masks free of cost by the Scouts and Guides Organisation.
The Scouts and Guides cadets would serve as volunteers and help the students on the use of sanitisers and masks.
The education minister said children of migrant workers would be enabled to answer the examinations in Morarji Desai Residential Schools along with those students staying in hostels run by the Social Welfare Department, Backward Classes and Minority Welfare Departments and appearing for the examinations.
As the SSLC students were not able to continue their revision exercises in the schools due to lockdown, special revision exercises are being conducted on Doordarshan television channel. In view of the encouraging response, there is a proposal to start a separate channel to help the students. Well qualified and experienced teachers are conducting lessons through Makkalavani YouTube channel, which has been viewed by over 45 lac students, Kumar added.
The chief secretary T M Vijaya Bhaskar and other senior officials were also present.
The CM held separate review meetings with officials of Mandya and Chikkaballapur districts pertaining to controlling the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
Yediyurappa also held a separate meeting pertaining to Forests, Environments and Ecology Departments and inaugurated the International Biodiversity Day and awareness campaign.
Forest minister Anand Singh and principal secretary of Forest Department Sandeep Dave and other officials were present at the meeting.