Pinarayi Vijayan skips school reopening for meeting with Sachin Tendulkar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan skipped the school reopening ceremony for a meeting with cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday. The meeting was convened to introduce new co-owners of Kerala football team Kerala Blasters, actors Chiranjeevi and Nagarjuna to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Pinarayi Vijayan was to inaugurate the state-level school reopening event for the academic year 2016-17 organised at Government Model Higher Secondary School, Pattom.
Education minister Prof C Raveendranath inaugurated the school reopening ceremony in absentia of chief minister.
“State government will promote and protect general education. The education system of Kerala will be a model for all. A new generation is entering the world of knowledge today. And we will ensure that all needed infrastructure and facility is available to the students to study,” said Prof C Raveendranath.
Around 80 students took admission for class I at Government Model Higher Secondary School, Pattom for the academic year 2016-17. District panchayat member V K Madhu planted a tree sapling in the campus inaugurating the initiative of district panchayat to plant 10000 saplings in 1000 schools in the district.
MP A Sampath inaugurated the distribution of school uniforms, while deputy mayor Rakhi Ravikumar inaugurated the distribution of school kits in the event.
Mayor V K Prasanth, director of higher secondary education K V Mohan Kumar and additional chief secretary of general education VS Senthil were also present at the event.