TED NewsDesk, Kerala: On October 3, 2020, Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister, Kerala, accredited 90 schools with “Centres of Excellence” under the Public Education Rejuvenation Campaign of the government through a virtual ceremony. He further laid the foundation, to mark the establishment of 54 schools, thus informing about the plan of the government to bring transformations in the field of education to safeguard them for the future generations of the State.
Over five lakh students took admissions in various government schools across the State since 2018 although these schools were on the verge of shutting down. The government managed to improve and modernize education facilities in the last three years leading these schools to grab the attention of students, as per the CM.
“The changes in the field of school education were implemented, keeping in mind the next generation. In the past, society discussed the closure of government schools, but now that they have become centres of excellence, the number of students coming to study has also increased. Five lakh new students have joined government schools in the last three years“, Mr. Vijayan said.
The “Centre of Excellence” scheme implemented by the government focuses on escalation and renovation of primary, secondary and higher education with necessary tools for the next 20 years. Under the government, the Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) is giving every bit to upgrade pedagogy and is emphasizing on the need to develop critical thinking skills among students rather than sticking to the conventional form of education. Some other approaches include the active participation of students, academic content creation, technology-based high-tech classrooms, modification of both physical and extra-curricular framework along with security, sanitation and school hygiene.
“Of the 90 Centres of Excellence, four buildings have been constructed at the cost of Rs. 5 crores with funding from KIIFB, 20 buildings were built a cost of Rs. 3 crore, 62 buildings were built using plan funds and four buildings were constructed with assistance from NABARD. 34 new school buildings would be constructed at a cost of Rs 3 crore each with KIIFB funding and 20 buildings at a cost of Rs 40 crore from the plan fund.”
Following are the number of schools from these districts that were accredited:
| Districts | Number of Schools Accredited |
| Pathanamthitta | 1 |
| Kasaragod | 1 |
| Kottayam | 3 |
| Ernakulam | 3 |
| Wayanad | 4 |
| Idukki | 5 |
| Kollam | 6 |
| Palakkad | 6 |
| Kozhikode | 9 |
| Thrissur | 11 |
| Malappuram | 10 |
| Thiruvananthapuram | 10 |
Following are the number of schools in these districts that were proposed:
| Districts | Number of Schools Proposed |
| Thiruvananthapuram | 3 |
| Kollam | 3 |
| Kottayam | 3 |
| Palakkad | 3 |
| Kasaragod | 3 |
| Pathanamthitta | 4 |
| Ernakulum | 2 |
| Malappuram | 7 |
| Kozhikode | 9 |
| Wayanad | 17 |
The Kerala government is using its Public Education Protection Campaign as a tool to empower the government-aided schools across the State with all-round excellence. The CM also appreciated local groups, teachers, alumni, candidates chosen by people, parents and other interested bodies for their assistance. The campaign led to a transformation in the opinions of people concerning government schools.
