Kerala Government School Standards Review Committee: Minister

N. Samsudheen Photo Credit: KK Mustafah

An academic commission will be set up to look into aspects related to quality standards of government schools, how to attract more students and the introduction of minimum marks in class X in the academic year 2026-27, General Education Minister V Samsudheen said.

Addressing a press program at the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club on Monday, the minister said the United Democratic Front (UDF) government has no plans to overhaul the existing education system. He said her approach is not to change everything that has been implemented. “Changes in the education sector need to be implemented carefully,” the minister added.

Regarding the government’s plans to fully integrate the school education system as recommended by the Khader Committee, Mr. Samsudheen said some of the committee’s recommendations were opposed on grounds of impracticality. Even the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had implemented only some of the recommendations, he pointed out.

If any of the implemented recommendations were unscientific or created obstacles, they would be re-examined and changes made after discussion with academia, the minister said.

PM-SHRI

The minister said that he had received a report on the PM-SHRI scheme from Principal Secretary General Education Sharmila Mary Joseph but could not go through it. “We will discuss the report and soon announce a decision on the implementation of PM-SHRI,” he said.

On the proposal to introduce colored uniforms once a week, Mr. Samsudheen said that students have increased the demand. This too will be implemented only after discussions. The minister personally said that he too is in favor of wearing colorful clothing once a week, as it was at the request of the students. The former general education minister also said that the request would be considered, Mr. Samsudheen pointed out.

The minister denied that it would be possible to go back to announcing menstrual leave for schoolgirls. It reflected an empathetic approach to women and schoolgirls, he noted. He called for focusing on the positive side of the proposal, as many women and girls experience a lot of physical and mental discomfort during menstruation, while for others it is not a big problem.

“Menstrual leave is a relief from work for women, while for female students it is a relief from the then school or college. However, it was compared to a taboo or a stigma like in the old days. Not everyone needs to use it. Those with health problems can use this benefit,” the minister said, adding that the details are yet to be worked out.

Published – 01 Jun 2026 23:16 IST