In a significant move to elevate technical education standards, the Kerala Cabinet has given the green light to the launch of pioneering MTech and BTech courses in select government engineering colleges. This decision was made during the Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, November 28, coinciding with the government’s Navakerala Sadas outreach program in the Tirur Assembly constituency, Malappuram.
The fresh array of programs, focusing on emerging fields, has been allocated to prestigious institutions including the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram (CET); Government Engineering College (GEC), Thrissur; and GEC, Sreekrishnapuram in Palakkad.
MTech courses specializing in Robotics and Automation, as well as Engineering Design, are slated to kick off at GEC Thrissur. Simultaneously, GEC Palakkad will pioneer MTech programs in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, along with Internet of Things courses.
Furthermore, CET has received approval for an additional MTech division in Structural Engineering, each division accommodating 18 seats.
Expanding the horizons of undergraduate studies, GEC Thrissur is set to introduce a BTech course in Cyber Physical Systems. Additionally, CET and GEC Thrissur have both been sanctioned an extra division each for BTech in Electronics and Communication Engineering, offering 60 seats in each division.
Importantly, these new courses are expected to be launched without imposing any additional financial burden on the State exchequer, utilizing the existing workforce efficiently.
In a parallel decision, the Cabinet also announced the creation of 639 temporary English high school assistant (HSA) posts in government and aided high schools. These posts, designed for high schools with three and four divisions, will be filled on a contract/daily wage basis, in compliance with a Kerala High Court judgment.
Moreover, to support special educational needs, six positions have been approved for the Commerce batch at the Don Bosco Speech and Hearing Higher Secondary School in Karakundu, Kannur. The General Education Director has been instructed to facilitate the appointment of teachers with specialized training on a daily wage basis for these new roles.
Addressing educational infrastructure needs, the government has offered land for the proposed Kendriya Vidyalaya in Thalassery under a 99-year lease agreement, with an annual rent of ₹100. A 7.9-acre plot in Pullyottu, Kathiroor, has been identified for this purpose.
Additionally, the Cabinet has lifted previously imposed restrictions on land sales and transfers in Kainakary North village, Kuttanad taluk, Alappuzha, following concerns about potential irregularities.
Bihar Cabinet Passes Resolution Urging Special Category Status for the State