General Education Minister V. Sivankutty said on Sunday (January 25, 2026) that the concerns raised over the Malayalam Language Bill, 2025, were unfounded, considering the importance given by the State government for the welfare of linguistic minorities.
The General Education department, he pointed out, is set to introduce revised textbooks for Class XI in the 2026 academic year.
Giving special consideration to the Kannada-speaking linguistic minority, necessary textbooks for them are also being made available. The new books, including 41 titles covering languages and Computer Science, will be released in the second week of February. The necessary teacher texts for these have also been prepared.
“We have noted criticisms from certain quarters regarding the Malayalam Language Bill. Such criticisms are being made without understanding the actual facts,” he asserted.
He added the revised curriculum focusses on practical, application-based learning, and will reinforce Kerala’s position as a national model in public education.
The government had completed the revision of textbooks for Classes I to X by the 2025 academic year, making Kerala the first State in the country to complete the process on schedule. A total of 597 textbook titles were developed in Malayalam, English, Tamil and Kannada.
The Minister also informed that advanced robotic kits will be distributed to all high schools through Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) to strengthen robotics education. As many as 2,500 robotics kits will be distributed through Little KITES units in February.
Over four lakh students benefited through the introduction of robotics as part of the Class X Information and Communication Technology (ICT) curriculum. As many as 29,000 robotic kits had earlier been provided to schools, he added.
As part of the initiative, new kits supporting Internet of Things (IoT)-based device development are being introduced. The advanced kits contain various features including ESP-32 development boards, multiple sensors and rechargeable battery packs. Students will gain hands-on experience in block coding, Python and C programming.
Besides, students will be equipped to go beyond textbook learning to create practical projects such as line-following robots, smart irrigation system, motion-based security systems, smart walking sticks for the visually impaired, smart weather stations, air-quality monitoring systems, and energy-saving devices, the Minister pointed out.
New portal launched
A new official website for the Higher Secondary Education department (www.hseportal.kerala.gov.in) has been launched in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre. The portal offers comprehensive information, improved user-friendliness and enhanced security. All official notifications will henceforth be issued through the new platform.
Mr. Sivankutty also highlighted that the State government has invested over ₹4,000 crore through KIIFB for public education infrastructure. Development works were undertaken in 973 schools, while an additional 53 schools were supported through the Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation.
The development of 629 school buildings have been completed so far. The formal inauguration of 32 new buildings will be held within February 10.
Published – January 25, 2026 04:45 pm IST
