The government schools in Kerala which were on the verge of mass closure till 2016 were brought back to life through the efforts of the Left administration which came to power back then, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday, May 29, stated a report by PTI.

Vijayan claimed that till 2016 five lakh students had left state-run and aided schools for other better institutions, but the government was able to bring back more than double that number through its general education campaign.

"It was also made possible due to the active cooperation of students, teachers, alumni, PTAs (Parent Teacher Associations) and the general public," he said after inaugurating the distribution of revised textbooks and uniforms at Cotton Hill School in Thiruvananthapuram.

Besides that, many sources of funding, the biggest of which came from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), were used to renovate hundreds of government schools and develop basic infrastructure in around 2,000 state-run educational institutions, he added.

Laptops, robotic kits, among others were also provided to many schools, making them hi-tech.

He also supported the reforms implemented and decisions taken by the general education department, including shifting to a student-centric system, to improve state-run schools.

Noting that his government right from the start was focused on improving the academic excellence of state-run schools, he said an action plan was also prepared.