Controversy surrounds Chief Minister’s mega quiz in Kerala schools and colleges

Thiruvananthapuram: ‘Vijnana Yathra’, the Chief Minister’s Mega Quiz for school and college students in Kerala, has come under scrutiny, joining previous controversies over the naming of the LSS and USS scholarship exams after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Launched as a state-wide knowledge initiative, the quiz is themed on Kerala’s social reform movements, renaissance history, and contemporary development achievements. The students are to study the achievements of the Pinarayi government over the past ten years.

To facilitate participation, the Information and Public Relations Department prepared a special handbook titled “My Kerala: Historical Paths, New Paths”. The content includes the Chief Minister’s article “Navakerala Shristiyum Bhavipowrarum” and detailed accounts of development initiatives undertaken by various ministers in their departments.

The competition, open to students of classes 8 to 12 and college students, is scheduled to start on Monday.

However, the quiz has faced criticism. Office bearers of the Kerala Private College Teachers Association (KPCTA) and the Kerala Private School Teachers Association (KPSTA) expressed concerns over the government’s involvement. Opposition parties argued that the initiative resembles a model of self-promotion similar to that of the Modi government.