Kerala Minister for General Education N. Samsudheen (second from left) launching Digital Square programme in Malappuram on July 25, 2026.
| Photo Credit: SAKEER HUSSAIN
The Kerala government has launched Digital Square, a programme to promote the use of digital technology in primary education in the State.
Minister for General Education N. Samsudheen inaugurated the programme here on Saturday (July 25, 2026). He also inaugurated a State-level orientation session for school heads. More than 4,000 headmasters and headmistresses from schools across the 14 districts attended the session through online video conferencing.
Digital Square is implemented by Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE), the technology wing of the General Education department, as part of the government’s 100-day action plan.
The programme aims to improve digital skills, encourage self-learning and develop creativity among students of Classes I to VII.
The initiative uses Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) with features to support students with special needs, including audio assistance for visually impaired students and high-contrast displays for children with special needs (CWSN).
Software support
Government and aided primary schools with the required facilities will get a special software package with educational applications such as GCompris, e-Cube language tools, and software for music, digital drawing and animation. The programme also introduces students to animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) concepts at an early age.
KITE chief executive officer K. Anvar Sadath said the organisation has developed a FOSS-based learning package for Digital Square. The package offers digital learning tools without commercial restrictions and includes safety features for students.
The Minister also released the guidelines for implementing Digital Square.
Other initiatives
The event also saw the launch of other initiatives under the government’s 100-day programme, including Cyber Safety Protocol 2026, which aims to strengthen online safety in schools, and Tharapadham, a digital platform to monitor learning progress, attendance and remedial support.
The government also announced the School Wiki-thon campaign to update local knowledge resources and plans to extend Little KITEs IT clubs to upper primary schools.
Published – July 27, 2026 03:49 pm IST
