thrissur l saturday l june 21, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Govt panel to check fairness of entrance exams, need for coaching The Ministry of Education has set up a panel to suggest ways to reduce students’ dependency on coaching centres for transition to higher education To plug Gaps in current schooling system flags proliferation of ‘Dummy schools’ “The committee will examine the gaps in the current schooling system that contribute to students’ reliance on coaching centres, particularly the limited focus on critical thinking, logical reasoning, analytical skills and innovation and the prevalence of rote learning practices,” news agency PTI quoted a senior Ministry of Education official as saying on Friday ■ ■ Many students prefer to take admission in ‘dummy schools’ so that they can focus solely on their preparations for competitive exams. They don’t attend classes and directly appear in the board exams The panel will also study the effectiveness and fairness of competitive entrance examinations and their influence on the coaching industry 9-member Committee to be headed by Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Declined Trump’s invite to the US to be in the land of Mahaprabhu, says Modi E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he declined US President Donald Trump’s invitation for a recent luncheon meeting in Washington since he did not want to miss being in Odisha, the sacred land of Mahaprabhu Jagannath. Addressing a massive gathering in Bhubaneswar to mark the first anniversary of the Mohan Charan Majhi-led BJP government in the state, the prime minister said it was more important for him to be leeds from front India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Shubman Gill score hundreds in the first Test against England at Leeds on Friday. Gill became the fifth Indian to score a hundred in the first Test as leader. The visitors ended Day 1 on 359 for 3 | AP Iran eases curbs to fly out 1,000 stranded Indians Three flights operated by Iranian airline Mahan Air to evacuate Indian nationals 10,000 Indians are living in Iran and those wishing to return are IN a major diplomatic move, being evacuated. Iran has eased its airspace reThe evacuation comes amid strictions to facilitate the evac- mounting regional instability uation of Indian nationals. The as the conflict between Iran decision, described as a special and Israel entered the eighth gesture by Iranian authorities, day on Friday. Iran continued allows India to operate emer- to launch ballistic missiles at gency evacuation flights to Israel, hitting buildings in Haibring its citizens home safely . fa and injuring 31. Israel said it Three special flights operat- carried out air strikes targeted by Iran’s Mahan Air will ing Iran’s missile launchers. carry 1,000 Indians, including a Meanwhile, several Indians large number of sturemain stranded in dents, from Iran’s EU-Iran talks both Iran and Israel. in Geneva Mashhad and AshgaJournalist Raavish bat to New Delhi, Zaidi, a Lucknow naIranian Foreign sources said. tive, had a narrow esMinister Abbas The first flight will Araghchi on Friday cape when an Israeli reach India on Friday held talks with his missile struck his ofat 11.30 pm. The other fice inside the Islamic British, French, two flights will land Re public of Iran German and at 3.00 am and 4.30 pm Broadcasting buildEuropean Union on Saturday . ing in Tehran. His facounterparts in The evacuation ef- Geneva, marking a ther Amir Abbas Zaifort comes under Op- fresh bid by Europe di rued that Raavish e r a t i o n S i n d h u , to revive dialogue could not attend teh which successfully on Tehran’s nuclear last rites of his mothbrought back 110 Iner, who passed away a programme dian students from f e w d ay s a g o i n Iran. The students were first Lucknow. moved to Armenia, flown to Shia cleric Maulana Saif AbDoha, and finally arrived in bas said he was approached by Delhi on Thursday morning. several families whose relaIran’s deputy chief of mis- tives are stranded in Iran. He sion in New Delhi, Mohammad said many families travelled to Javad Hosseini, on Friday reit- Iran for pilgrimage. “Unfortuerated Tehran’s commitment to nately, war broke out. Thouthe safety of foreign nationals sands are stuck... and running and highlighted the coopera- out of essentials,” he said.  P9 (With inputs from Namita tion between the two countries Bajpai in Lucknow) in times of crisis. He said about J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi in the land of Jagannath. “Just two days ago, I was in Canada attending the G7 Summit when I received a call from President Trump. He said since you are already in Canada, why don’t you come down to Washington? We will have lunch together and a conversation. He extended a very warm invitation. I thanked him for the invite but told him it was very important for me to visit the land of Lord Jagannath. With due respect, I declined his offer,” Modi said. Guv’s rights, duties to be part of school syllabus E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @T’Puram Opening a new battlefront with the Raj Bhavan on the Bharat Mata image controversy the state government has de, cided to incorporate the constitutional rights and duties of the governor in the school curriculum. General Education Minister V Sivankutty said the government is planning to include the govenror’s rights and duties in the second volume of the revised Class X Social Science text book, to be published short- ly. “It will also be included in the Plus-I and Plus-II texts that are set to be revised soon,” he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. He said the school curriculum has been revised upholding constitutional values and the government wants students to imbibe the same in their daily lives. Sources said the govenor was of the view that there was nothing wrong in incorporating constitutional matters in school curriculum. However, he will take up with the CM the alleged ‘protocol violation’ by Sivankutty. succession Dalai Lama likely to make reincarnation declaration on July 2 B a l a C h a u h a n @ Bengaluru The ageing Dalai Lama, Tibet’s highest spiritual leader, will make an important announcement, most likely on his reincarnation on July 2, four days before he turns 90. Speaking to this paper, Penpa Tsering, president of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) revealed that the Dalai will make an “important announcement on July 2. It is likely to be on his reincarnation.” The Dalai is scheduled to meet senior leaders of the four Buddhist sects Sakya, Kagyu, Nyingma and Gelug between July 2 and 4 at Dharamshala, the headquarters of the CTA. The identity of the Dalai’s reincarnation is keenly awaited not only by Tibetans but by people in the Himalayan region as well, from Lhasa to Arunachal Pradesh, as they look up to him as their spiritual guide. China, too, wants to know, as it sees the Dalai as a separatist leader and symbol of Tibetan resistance. In March 2011, the Dalai relinquished his role as the political head of the Tibetans in exile and handed it over to the CTA. He had said that his successor will be born in a free world, in a clear message to China on claim on having the sole right to choose the next Dalai Lama. “It is important to remember that the Dalai is not only the leader of all the Tibetans, but also of one million Indian Himalayans,” noted Tibetologist Claude Arpi said. Pre‘serving’ legacy with nostalgic delicacy In a scenic lane in Fort Kochi, the aroma of cardamom and boiling milk wafts through the air. Inside her modest kitchen, Mumtaaz M carefully rolls tiny beads of refined, kneaded flour between her fingers, shaping them into diamonds, while coconut milk simmers on the stove. The 65-year-old is preparing Suthiriya ka Kheer, a traditional dessert from the Deccan region, so named after the diamond shapes that are called Suthiriya. For Mumtaaz and other members of the Urdu-speaking Deccani Muslim community in Suthiriya ka Kheer Kerala, preparing – and savouring – the kheer is a way to stay connected to their roots. As Kerala’s culinary scene evolves with contemporary tastes, Suthiriya Ka Kheer remains a nostalgic symbol of tradition for Kerala’s Deccani Muslims, keeping alive stories of migration, memory and community . Despite its rich flavour and heritage, the dish has remained largely confined within the community Now, its members . are taking to social media to share the recipe, hoping to introduce it to a wider audience. Recently, Mumtaaz recorded and shared on social media a video demonstrating the dish’s preparation, detailing its ingredients and cooking process. “Our food culture has changed a lot. To the young, it is an unfamiliar dish. They must have heard about it, but they won’t crave it like we did in our childhood,” says Mumtaaz. ● More on P4 Sivankutty’s remakrs came a day after his walkout from an event held at the Raj Bhavan, in protest against the display of a Bharat Mata image, allegedly used in RSS functions. The Raj Bhavan had termed his act as protocol violaton and an insult to the office of the governor. The government’s move is ‘Nothing wrong with it’ tradition in a bowl R a h u l R @Kollam Launching various projects worth over `18,600 crore and releasing the Odisha Vision Document @2036 and @2047, Modi congratulated Chief Minister Majhi for giving a fresh momentum to the development of the state. Modi said in recent years, the country has experienced the BJP’s development model. “You have seen the Congress model — delaying, obstructing and derailing projects. Now you have experienced the development model of the BJP government,” he said. cook time: 45 minutes Knead refined flour into dough and cut into diamondshaped pieces. Once dry, add to boiling coconut milk. Then add cooked split chickpeas, banana, concentrated coconut milk and sugar or jaggery. Garnish with dry fruits and serve warm. seen as part of adding more teeth to its charge that Governor Rajendra Arlekar was exceeding his rights. After the minister’s walkout from the event attended mostly by students, the Raj Bhavan said his action had set a “wrong model.” In his speech, Arlekar had criticised those opposed to ‘Bharat Mata’. “I need not teach you anything. Compared to others, some politicians, you are far, far ahead. You know what is Bharat Mata and what are we for,” he had told students on ● More on P4 Thursday . E X P R E S S R E AD AX-4 put off again, ISRO to recall astronauts ISRO has decided to recall Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla and Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair after Axiom Space announced indefinite postponement of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission | P8 Cops, kin at odds over Kannur woman’s suicide The family of Kannur native Raseena K, who ended her life, insists her male friend was to be blamed for her death, even as the police arrested three persons on moral policing charges | P5