Science fest begins; General Education Minister V Sivankutty announces new reforms for next year

PALAKKAD: The State School Science Festival 2025 commenced in Palakkad on Friday evening with General Education Minister V Sivankutty announcing major reforms, including the introduction of a gold cup for the festival from next year and an increase in prize money. He has also put forward a proposal for a unified school prayer song based on constitutional values and scientific temper. The minister said the prayer proposal would be presented for public discussion to ensure inclusivity and prevent students from being compelled to sing religion-specific prayers. Nearly 8,500 student participants from all 14 districts are taking part in the four-day festival, which will conclude on November 10. Competitions are being held across six major categories Science, Mathematics, IT, Social Science, Work Experience and Vocational Higher Secondary (VHSE) at six different venues. This is the first complete edition of the science fair being conducted after the manual revision. This years festival brings major changes, especially in the Social Science Fair segment, where all events have been converted into on-the-spot competitions. A new History Seminar category has been introduced for High School and Higher Secondary students. Several conventional craft-based competitions, including chalk making, agarbatti making, plaster of Paris crafts, palm leaf products and umbrella making, have been removed. New events introduced this year include carry bag designing, fiber fabrication, innovative model creation, metal sheet 2D art, poster designing, pottery painting, coconut sheath crafts and cane product designing, reflecting the shift toward modern skill-based learning. As part of the festival, a skill fest and career fest is being organised at Kotta Maidan, showcasing over 100 science and technology stalls. The exhibition will be open to the public on Saturday after the judging process, and again on Sunday from 9am onwards.