Kerala Government Eases Student Admission Woes with Additional School Batches

Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty announced the allocation of 138 temporary additional plus-one batches in government schools in Malappuram and Kasaragod. The move, costing Rs 14.9 crore, aims to address the shortage of seats in these northern districts. The decision follows student protests and opposition criticism over inadequate plus-one seats.

Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Thursday announced the allocation of 138 temporary additional plus-one batches in government schools across Malappuram and Kasaragod districts. This decision comes as a response to the unmet demand for class 11 seats in these northern Kerala regions.

The new batches will require an expenditure of Rs 14.9 crore from the state exchequer. Based on committee reports and recommendations, 120 of these batches will be designated to Malappuram, with 18 allocated to Kasaragod. This includes divisions across Humanities, Commerce, and Science streams.

Sivankutty emphasized that these measures are in addition to the 178 provisional batches retained from the last academic year and a 30% increase in seats in government schools and 20% in aided schools in the Malabar region. This allocation follows student protests and opposition accusations of the government's failure to ensure sufficient seats.