Thiruvananthapuram: Three lakh little ones started Class One when Kerala's schools resumed operations following the summer break.
Children are not required to wear face masks in class starting in March 2020, however, this is the first academic year since 2019 and this has not been the case.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan led from the front in welcoming the children at the state-level inauguration of the new academic year in the capital city, while his cabinet members and others inaugurated it in other places.
During the event, the chief minister highlighted how the school infrastructure under his government since 2016 has improved hugely.
"Gone are the days when government schools had poor infrastructure as the state has ensured state-of-the-art facilities to young kids, who are the future of the country," said Vijayan.
He also called upon the teachers to do their job sincerely and advised the children against just concentrating on their books all the time, instead venturing out of classrooms.
The chief minister also cautioned them against the drug menace saying that a section of society is out to create trouble.
With inputs from IANS