Mohammed Hanish at Evening Lecture Series of KMA

KOCHI:
The much relevant subject, ‘Education Sector in Kerala: Prospects and Challenges’ was the topic addressed by A P M Mohammed Hanish, Secretary, Department of General Education, Government of Kerala as first in the series of Evening Lecture Meetings of KMA for this year.
Chairperson, Programme Committee, Maria Abraham introduced the Chief Guest for the evening. Mohammed Hanishexplained how the princely states of Travancore and Cochin were far ahead of other parts of India in literacy even before India became independent.
He stated that the current pass percentage of 98.8% from schools will only give rise to a generation of youth who have no skills or learning capabilities. Talking of the government’s initiative to convert 40,000 classrooms into hi-tech classrooms and one school each from 140 constituencies of Kerala into a school of international standards, he
stressed that these investments will not give the desired results till the dire need for Teacher’s training is also addressed adequately. To fill the gap between the teacher and the taught, it is very vital for the government to initiate steps in Teachers’ training and ensure that it is not just quantity, but quality of education that takes priority.
Hanish called for a reality check to come out of the mythical views we have about ourselves on being the most literate state in the country.
Hanish also spoke passionately about the making of the Smart City Project proposal wherein Kochi was adjudged to be in the 5th position among the 20 cities shortlisted for the project across India. He took the audience through the various stages of the process right from involving people in answering questionnaires to conducting numerous sector level meetings.
Hanish also expressed his happiness in the large support the project received from social media, FM stations, cine stars and of course the citizens of Kochi when it came to logo design and tagline competitions. The proposal was then beautifully documented with support from the British High Commission capturing the antiquity of Mattanchery, the rich heritage of Fort Kochi, the natural beauty of the Marine Drive backwaters and the commercial business activity of Broadway and MG Road all within an urban design with seamless transportation.
The Kochi App and Kochi Smart also were included as the smart ideas in the project. Hanish ended his talk stating that Kochi city had the potential to grow into a most promising city in South Asia with investments from European countries like Germany and Belgium. He stressed on the need for brilliant ideas, and not just money, to see many more such projects becoming a reality in the state.
Mohammed Hanish spent some time for the queries from the audience followed by a vote of t
hanks by Secretary R Madhav Chandran.