Page 2 - Schools

Jammu administration orders closure of all schools today due to bad weather

A cloudburst in Kathua on Sunday triggered flash floods and landslides, prompting intensified rescue operations to retrieve stranded vehicles

Schools shut in 5 districts in Telangana following heavy rain forecast

The Telangana government has declared a half day holiday in Hyderabad and full holiday in Warangal and other districts on August 13 and 14 for all government and private schools in view of the IMD forecast of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in isolated places. The schools shall function only in the morning shift in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area, School Education Director said in an official communication late Tuesday. The official announced holidays for all the government and private schools in Warangal, Hanumakonda, Jangaon, Mahabubabad and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri districts. Meanwhile, state Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy directed all irrigation department officials to be stationed at the place of their duty and be fully vigilant against any mishap or danger due to heavy rain. The leave of all irrigation officials is cancelled for the next four days, he said in an official release on Wednesday. A careful watch is to be kept on all irrigation

NCERT adds chapters on Manekshaw, Brig Usman, Major Sharma to syllabus

Chapters on the lives and legacy of legendary Indian military figures -- Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, Brigadier Mohammad Usman and Major Somnath Sharma -- have been added to the NCERT syllabus for the current academic year, officials said on Thursday. The move aims to introduce students to inspirational narratives of courage, duty, and sacrifice, the defence ministry said in a statement. Field Marshal Manekshaw, India's first officer to be conferred the rank of Field Marshal, is remembered for his exceptional leadership and strategic acumen. Brigadier Usman and Major Sharma -- recipients of the Mahavir Chakra and Param Vir Chakra (posthumously), respectively -- laid down their lives in the line of duty and remain enduring symbols of supreme sacrifice, it said. According to the ministry, chapters on Field Marshal Manekshaw have been included in Class 8 (Urdu), Brigadier Usman in Class 7 (Urdu), and Major Sharma in Class 8 (English). The newly introduced chapters aim to provide stude

NCERT to create school module on Operation Sindoor for classes 3-12: Report

The NCERT is developing a special classroom module on Operation Sindoor to help students learn about India's defence strategy and diplomatic response, according to sources. The module will have two partsfirst for students from class 3 to 8 and another one for students from class 9 to 12. A source said that the special module prepared by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) will have 8 to 10 pages focussing on India's strategic military response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The aim is to make students understand how nations respond to terror threats and how defence, diplomacy, and coordination between ministries play a role in national security, the source said. Twenty-six men were gunned down in front of their family members in a deadly terror attack in in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22. India retaliated by targeting terror sites in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan under Operation Sindoor, leading to a four-day conflict between the tw

Mandatory to conduct audit of safety in schools: Govt tells states, UTs

The Ministry of Education has issued a directive to all states and Union territories mandating them to conduct audits of safety mechanisms and facilities for children in schools, officials said on Saturday. The Education Ministry has also called for schools to ensure structural integrity of buildings. This comes a day after a portion of a government school in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district collapsed on Friday, killing seven children and leaving 28 injured. States and UTs must take urgent steps to ensure student's safety and their well-being. This includes mandatory safety audits of schools and child-related facilities as per national safety codes, training for staff and students in emergency preparedness, and the provision of psychosocial support through counselling and peer networks. Structural integrity, along with fire safety, emergency exits, and electrical wiring, must be thoroughly assessed. It must be ensured that staff and students are trained in emergency preparedness, ...

US Education Dept to release remaining withheld grant money for schools

The Trump administration is releasing billions of dollars in grants to schools for adult literacy, English language instruction and other programmes, the Education Department said Friday. President Donald Trump's administration had withheld more than USD 6 billion in funding on July 1, as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House's priorities. The funding freeze had been challenged by several lawsuits as educators, Congress members from both parties and others called for the administration to release money schools rely on for a wide range of programs. Congress had appropriated the money in a bill signed this year by Trump. Last week, the Education Department said it would release USD 1.3 billion of the money for after-school and summer programming. Without the money, school districts and non-profits such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America had said they would have to close or scale back educational offerings this fall. The release of that money cam

CBSE asks schools to set up 'oil boards' to curb high-fat food intake

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked schools to set up "oil boards" to educate students and staff about harmful effects of consuming high-fat foods and oils and to serve as daily reminders promoting healthier eating habits, according to officials. The directive comes two months after the board asked schools to set up "sugar boards" to monitor and reduce the sugar intake of children. "Oil Boards" refer to posters or digital displays installed in shared spaces such as cafeterias, lobbies, and meeting rooms within school premises. These boards will aim to educate students and staff about the harmful effects of consuming high-fat foods and oils and to serve as daily reminders promoting healthier eating habits. "The data points out that there is a sharp rise in obesity among both adults and children. As per National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), 2019-21, over one in five adults in urban areas are overweight or obese," said Pragya M Singh, CBSE Director ...

Class 8 textbook has not dropped regional resistance topics, says NCERT

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Monday clarified that references to the regional resistance movements have not been dropped from the new class 8 Social Science textbook. The clarification came following news reports claiming that the class 8 Social Science textbook, "Exploring Society: India and Beyond", has removed references to the regional resistance movements. "It is clarified that the said textbook happens to be the first volume of this textbook. The second volume is in final stages of development and is expected to be released in Sept-Oct 2025," the NCERT said in a statement. "Topics relating to the regional resistance movements and armed uprisings such as the Paika rebellion and Khurda uprising of Odisha, the Kuka movement or rebellion of the Sikhs in Punjab, etc., will be handled in this volume," it said.

Over 500K apply for 35,726 teacher posts in Bengal, says WBSSC chief

Over 5 lakh candidates have so far applied for 35,726 assistant teacher posts in state-run and state-aided schools in West Bengal, a senior official said on Thursday. An online application portal was launched on June 16 to facilitate the process, with the original July 14 deadline getting extended to July 21. The number of applicants is 5 lakh-plus already. We are expecting the figure to go up," Chairman of the West Bengal School Service Commission Siddhartha Majumdar told PTI. On May 30, the WBSSC had issued a notification for recruitment of 35,726 assistant teachers in Classes 9-12 in state-aided and state-run schools, in adherence to a Supreme Court directive. The top court had asked the state government to file a compliance affidavit on the initiation of the recruitment process on or before May 31. In April, the Supreme Court had scrapped the entire 2016 State Level Selection Test (SLST) recruitment panel, and annulled 25,753 appointments of teachers of Classes 9-12 as well as

UP schools to remain shut from 16 to 23 July due to Kanwar Yatra rush

Closures in Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and other UP districts come amid Kanwar Yatra rush; officials cite student safety and traffic control as key reasons, with catch-up classes planned in some areas

Four-engine govt failed: Kejriwal after bomb threats to Delhi institutions

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday hit out at the BJP, saying the "four-engine government has completely failed" the people as he raised concerns over Delhi's law-and-order situation following bomb threats to educational institutions on two consecutive days. A school in Dwarka and the prestigious St. Stephen's College received bomb threats on Tuesday morning, prompting a swift emergency response and a thorough search operation by authorities. A similar threat was sent to three schools on Monday, but all of them turned out to be hoaxes. Reacting to the incidents, Kejriwal took to X to say, "What's happening in Delhi? Yesterday, two schools received bomb threats, and today, another school and a college received threats. Children are scared, and parents are extremely worried. The BJP's four-engine governments have completely failed." Another AAP leader, Aatishi, alleged that law and order have completely collapsed in Delhi and rhetorically asked if student safety is of no importanc

Three Delhi schools receive bomb threats, emergency services activated

At least three schools in the national capital received bomb threats on Monday morning, prompting the emergency services to be kicked in, a Delhi Police official said. He said that around 8 am, police received calls regarding the bomb threats from CRPF Schools in Prashant Vihar and Dwarka Sector 16, as well as another school in Chanakyapuri. "Police teams immediately moved in to check the school premises," he said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh said, "Early on Monday morning, Dwarka North police station received a PCR call informing about bomb threat at CRPF School here. The area was promptly sanitised. Local police, sniffer dogs and bomb disposal squads reached the school and conducted due checks." He added that cyber police experts are ascertaining the source of the email. "Security has been tightened in the school. Nothing suspicious has been found so far," the DCP said.

Karnataka HC seeks govt reply on plea against compulsory Kannada in schools

The Karnataka High Court has directed the state government to file its objections within three weeks in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the mandatory imposition of Kannada language instruction in CBSE and CISCE-affiliated schools across the state. A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice V Kameswar Rao and Justice C M Joshi passed the order while hearing a PIL filed in 2023 by Somashekar C and others, a group of parents whose children study in various non-state board schools. The petition questions the constitutional validity of multiple legislative provisions, including the Kannada Language Learning Act, 2015, the Kannada Language Learning Rules, 2017, and the Karnataka Educational Institutions (Issue of No Objection Certificate and Control) Rules, 2022. These enactments, the petitioners contend, make it compulsory for all schools to teach Kannada irrespective of their affiliation. During the hearing, the court was informed that despite the matte

Odisha ranks 5th in school education, Naveen Patnaik credits BJD's scheme

Odisha has achieved a tangible change in the school education system and ranked 5th in the country as per the Performance Grading Index (PGI-2.) between 2019-20 and 2023-2024 when BJD president Naveen Patnaik was the chief minister, officials said on Thursday. The state was ranked 14th rank in 2019-2020. The PGI 2.0 evaluates school education through 73 indicators across two categories: Outcomes and Governance & Management. BJD president Naveen Patnaik posted on X: "Glad to share that #Odisha has earned 5th rank nationally in School Grading System, as per Performance Grading Index (PGI-2.0) Report released by Government of India. Odisha has achieved score of 595.6 and secured PRACHESTA-3 grade for the academic year 2023-24, up from 14th in 2019. The PGI 2.0 evaluates school education through 73 indicators across two categories: Outcomes and Governance & Management." Patnaik was the chief minister of Odisha between 2000 and 2024. He is now the Leader of Opposition in Odisha ...

Muharram 2025 holiday: Will schools, colleges remain closed on July 7?

Will schools close on July 7, 2025, for Muharram? Parents, teachers are eyeing on official announcement on whether July 7, 2025, will be a public holiday or not across the country

Delhi govt approves ordinance to regulate fees charged by schools

Education Minister Ashish Sood stated that the BJP government sanctioned the ordinance during its eighth cabinet meeting

Trump officials seek to end school desegregation orders; parents push back

Even at a glance, the differences are obvious. The walls of Ferriday High School are old and worn, surrounded by barbed wire. Just a few miles away, Vidalia High School is clean and bright, with a new library and a crisp blue V painted on orange brick. Ferriday High is 90 per cent Black. Vidalia High is 62 per cent white. For Black families, the contrast between the schools suggests we're not supposed to have the finer things, said Brian Davis, a father in Ferriday. It's almost like our kids don't deserve it, he said. The schools are part of Concordia Parish, which was ordered to desegregate 60 years ago and remains under a court-ordered plan to this day. Yet there's growing momentum to release the district and dozens of others from decades-old orders that some call obsolete. In a remarkable reversal, the Justice Department said it plans to start unwinding court-ordered desegregation plans dating to the Civil Rights Movement. Officials started in April, when they lifted a 1960s .

Students wear masks, follow Covid rules as schools reopen in Karnataka

As schools across Karnataka reopened on Monday after summer vacations, students in Bengaluru schools were spotted wearing masks as a precautionary measure amid surge in Covid-19 cases in the state recently. Students, teachers and non-teaching staffs in many schools across the state were wearing masks and maintained distance during interactions. Even parents who accompanied students to school were seen wearing masks as they came to drop their children on the first day of school. Covid-19 appropriate behaviour was seen being followed by students in many schools in Bengaluru City as they lined up at the entrance of the school maintaining distance while entering the premises. Their body temperatures were also being checked by the staffs. In view of the Covid-19 situation in the state and the reopening of schools, Karnataka government, in a circular issued on Friday, has asked parents not to send their children to school, if they have fever, cough, cold and other symptoms. The ...

Summer vacations 2025: Check complete state-wise school reopening dates

Summer vacations 2025: Schools across India remain shut for summer vacations amid soaring temperatures, and parents are now eagerly searching for the 2025 school reopening dates

Rajouri schools, colleges reopen after cross-border shelling ends

Following the understanding of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan on May 10, life is gradually returning to normal in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir