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Nikita Parmar

Updated on 02nd January, 2024 , 7 min read

Education Minister of Kerala (V. Sivankutty): Biography, Education, Responsibilities and Former Education Ministers

Who is the Education Minister of Kerala?

Vasudevan Sivankutty is an Indian politician who is now the new education minister for general education and labor in the Kerala government. In the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly, he represents the Nemom Constituency. V. Sivankutty is a State Committee Member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kerala, as well as the State Secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) in Kerala and the Thiruvananthapuram District President of CITU.

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Education Minister of Kerala: Vasudevan Sivankutty

Kerala's current Public Education Minister is Vasudevan Sivankutty. He became involved in politics through the Students Federation of India (SFI). He is married to R. Parvathi Devi, a women's rights activist and Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) member. They have one child. V. Sivankutty is the new Kerala education minister, assumed office as Minister for Education and Labour on May 20, 2021, succeeding C. Raveendranath as Minister of General Education.

education minister of kerela

He was re-elected as Nemam MLA (2021) by beating Muralidharan. He has served as Kerala Education Minister since May 20, 2021. He became involved in politics through the Students' Federation of India (SFI). He beat the BJP's Kummanam Rajasekharan and K. Muraleedharan in the recently completed Kerala Assembly Elections to become the MLA of Nemom again (2021-Present). He served as President of Ulloor Panchayat, Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joint Secretary of the All India Mayors' Council, MLA of Thiruvananthapuram East, and afterward, Nemom from 2011 to 2016.

Literacy Movement, Employment and Training, Skills, Rehabilitation, Factories and Boilers, Insurance, Medical Service, Industrial Tribunals, and Labour Courts are now under his supervision. He presently serves as a minister in the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government, overseeing the ministries of Public Education and Labour.

V. Sivankutty: Background Information

                        Personal Details

Full Name 

Vasudevan Sivankutty

Born Date

10 November 1954

Age

67 years

Place of Birth 

Cheruvakkal, Trivandrum, State of Travancore–Cochin

(present-day Kerala), India

Residence(s)

Thiruvananthapuram

Political Party 

Communist Party of India (Marxist)

Parents

M. Vasudevan Pillai and 

P. Krishnamma

Spouse(s)

R. Parvathy Devi

Children

1

Personal Life

On November 10, 1954, Sivankutty was born in Cheruvakkal, Thiruvananthapuram, as the son of activist M. Vasudevan Pillai and P. Krishnamma. He graduated from Sree Narayana College and the Kerala Law Academy. He is the son-in-law of the late communist ideologue P. Govinda Pillai and M. J. Rajamma, a Kerala University professor. In addition, he is related to poet Sugathakumari and former chief minister P. K. Vasudevan Nair. He also took part in and led the massive demonstration in the state Assembly in 2015. When then-Finance Minister V Sivankutty attempted to introduce the budget in 2015, he smashed furniture and microphones.

Education

He studied at Sree Narayan College in Chempazhanty and the Kerala Law Academy in Thiruvananthapuram with a BA. LLB and was a member of SFI (Students Federation of India) during his studies. He used to be a football player when he was a student. 

Political Career

Sivankutty began his political career with the Students' Federation of India (SFI), where he served as District President, State President, District Secretary, State Secretary, and All India Joint Secretary. He left SFI to join the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), where he presently serves as State Secretary and District President. He served as President of the former Ulloor Panchayat, Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joint Secretary of the All India Mayors' Council, MLA of Thiruvananthapuram East, and then Nemom (2011 - 2016). The BJP's Kummanam Rajasekharan and K. Muraleedharan won in the recently completed Kerala Assembly Elections to become the MLAs of Nemom again (2021-Present).

V. Sivankutty's Works and Achievements

V. Sivankutty served as an MLA and a seasoned CPM leader in Nemom. He has also worked at the Labor Department. In 2021, he defeated experienced BJP politician and former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan from Nemom. K Muraleedharan, a Congress MP, was the other candidate. He has been focusing on making digital-online learning more accessible. He made some historic judgments on digital lecture broadcasting and has opted to take this step further.

Other Departments Reporting to the Education Minister of Kerala 

The following are the departments reporting to the Kerala Education Minister- 

  1. Literacy Movement
  2. Employment and Training Skills
  3. Industrial Tribunals
  4. Rehabilitation
  5. Factories and Boilers
  6. Insurance Medical Service
  7. Labour Courts

Education Minister of Kerala's Responsibilities

Kerala is one of the top states in terms of educational excellence. Looking back in time, the literacy rate in India increased dramatically after 1991. He has lately taken the initiative in his Thrissur Town constituency. He took over 79 schools and more than 150 classrooms and converted them into high-tech study centers with high-speed internet and live projectors. It contributes to increasing kids' exposure to the globe. 

The following are some of the decisions made by the Kerala education department under the supervision of the education minister-

  1. The education department is in charge of categorizing schools based on a variety of variables.
  2. Kerala's education department also looks after private schools by supervising their pricing structures and will always be involved in the planning of new schools in places where they are needed.
  3. The education department is also responsible for the maintenance of existing schools.
  4. The Kerala education board publishes the rules and regulations governing student enrollment, transfers, and expulsion. These restrictions, however, are subject to change at any time.
  5. At the start of each academic year, the education department is responsible for notifying the attendance data, holiday dates, and vacation dates.
  6. The education department also conducts surprise inspections of schools to verify that all laws and regulations are being observed.
  7. All such schools are taken over by the education department, which ensures that the infrastructure is not squandered.
  8. Non-teaching personnel will be required in all schools. 
  9. The education department is responsible for hiring non-teaching personnel for all government and aided schools in Kerala.
  10. All government and aided schools would be recruited and paid for by the education department.

Kerala's Current Education Plans

On October 26, 1998, Kerala started an ongoing education campaign with the motto "Education for all, and schooling for all eternity," six years after introducing the enviable theme of full-time education. Currently, the Kerala government has completely supported the KSLMA to begin learning, additional education, and a long-term learning program established and produced by the government.  The District Literacy Department is in charge of district-wide programs. Further Education Institutions operate as units within local government institutions around the country to provide equipment services. According to the latest papers of the Kerala Government's 12th Five Year Plan, the state is predicted to have 18 lakh illiterate people and another 12 lakh neo-illiterate people.  They discovered that illiterate funds were concentrated in urban slums, coastal locations, and traditional villages that needed special care. The National Literacy Mission's efforts to eradicate illiteracy under the Saakshar Bharat Scheme might be passed on to the nation, fishermen, and other marginalized people in the Kerala community. 

Kerala Education Department

Kerala was one of the first states in the country to establish an education ministry in its cabinet of ministers. The state recognized the importance of education in the future. They established a large number of schools around the state. Today, we all know that Kerala has the highest literacy rate in India. It is because, in 1958, the Kerala government established a special cabinet for education. At the time, most other governments concentrated on building big and medium-sized enterprises. Kerala chose the most logical route, believing that developing large factories would be futile if there were no competent workers to fill them. As a result, they prioritized education, ensuring that nearly everyone in the state receives a formal education. The state has also met the objectives long before many other states established an education department.

Among them is- 

The Kerala Education Act of 1958 established the education department inside the cabinet of ministers. This act ensured that education would be given the greatest priority possible for future generations.

Kerala's former Education Minister

Professor Raveendranath is an Indian politician who serves as the Minister of General Education for Kerala in the Pinarayi Vijayan government. He is a Thrissur-based Communist Party of India (Marxist) politician who has served in Kerala's Puthukkad Assembly since 2011. He is, however, a retired chemistry professor from St. Thomas College in Trississur. He has also worked as a Total Literacy Program resource person, State Planning Board coordinator, and Human Settlements Program regional coordinator. In addition, he has received up to 150 lessons in 79 schools that have been turned into high-tech institutions.

Colleges in Kerala

Kerala is well-known as India's educational powerhouse since it is the most literate state in the country. It boasts some of the greatest institutes, making it one of India's key academic centers. Kerala colleges offer education in a variety of fields, including science, engineering, business and management studies, information technology and software, architecture and planning, accounting and commerce, humanities and social sciences, agriculture, and so on, at the undergraduate, postgraduate, Ph.D., diploma, and certification levels. 

Kerala is home to some of the most well-known colleges in the country. The following are some of the colleges with their subjects-

Name of the College

Course Name 

Stream Name 

Calicut University, Calicut

Accounting and commerce, as well as science, humanities, and social sciences.

UG, PG, UG Diploma, PG Diploma, and Certificate

COE Trivandrum

Engineering, architecture, and planning, as well as information technology and software.

UG and PG

Government Engineering College, Thrissur

Engineering, architecture, and planning, as well as information technology and software.

UG and PG

IIIT Kottayam

Engineering

UG

IIM Kozhikode

IT and Software, Business and Management Studies

PG, PG Diploma and Certificate

Related Articles:

Education Minister of Rajasthan

Education Minister of Haryana

Current Education Minister of India 

Education Minister of Maharashtra

Kerala Ministers

Women Education In India

Education Minister of Tamil Nadu

First Education Minister of India

Education Minister of Telangana

Maharashtra Education

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JoSAA Counselling 2024

By - Avantika Bhardwaj 2024-02-05 11:56:38 , 18 min read
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Frequently Asked Questions

Ans. Kerala’s first Education Minister was Joseph Mundassery. He belonged to the EMS ministry.

Ans. In the current Pinarayi government, the education portfolio is handled by two ministers. R Bindu is in charge of Higher Education, while V Sivankutty is in charge of General. Kerala’s current education ministers are R Bindu (Higher Education) and V Sivankutty (General Education).

Ans. R Bindu (Minister of Higher Education) Office: 0471-2332868, 2327574, Residence: 0471-2334133, Mobile: 9447741385, E-mail: r.bindu@kerala.gov.in. V Sivankutty (General Education Minister), Office: 0471-2327574, 0471-2332868.

Ans. P. P. Ummer Koya is Kerala’s second Education Minister. He was a member of the Pattom A. Thanu Pillai administration. From February 22, 1960, to September 26, 1962, he held the portfolio.

Ans. Literacy Movement, Factories and Boilers, Insurance Medical Service, Labor Courts, Employment and Training Skills, Industrial Tribunals, and Rehabilitation.

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