Department of General Education

In India, the Department of General Education is the Government of Kerala's body for school education. Founded in 1995, The department administers school education from pre-primary level to the higher secondary level and teacher training the department is in charge of conducting Secondary School Leaving Certificate examinations in Kerala State. Secondary School Leaving Certificate examinations are usually held in March and results are announced on April or May.

The Department of General Education is a state-level government department in Kerala, entrusted with formulating policies, planning, and implementing various educational programs and initiatives across the state. The Department is headed by the Minister for General Education and is assisted by a senior official designated as the Secretary of General Education. The Principal Secretary/Secretary to the Government functions as the administrative head of the Department and serves as the principal adviser to the Minister for General Education on all matters relating to policy and administration within the Department of General Education.

The current Minister for General Education of Kerala is V. Sivankutty (Vasudevan Sivankutty), who has held the office since May 20, 2021, in the Second Pinarayi Vijayan Ministry.

The Directorate of General Education is an administrative body within the Department of General Education. It is responsible for the day-to-day administration, management, and coordination of general education in Kerala. The directorate is headed by a Director of General Education, who oversees the functioning of the directorate and reports to the Secretary of General Education.

The Director of General Education (formerly, the Director of Public Instruction) is the Head of the Department. The Director of General Education is also the Commissioner for Government Examinations in the state. In examination-related activities, he is assisted by the Joint Commissioner, the Secretary, and other staff from the Pareekshabhaven (Office of the Commissioner for Government Examinations).

The Directorate of General Education is made up of the Joint Directors, Regional Deputy Directors, Deputy Directors, and Assistant Directors of Higher Secondary and Vocational Higher Secondary. The department has several Joint Directors who assist the Director in the management and supervision of the department. Each Joint Director is responsible for a specific area, such as primary education, secondary education, or higher secondary education.

The Deputy Directors are responsible for the day-to-day management of the department. They are responsible for implementing policies and programs related to education at the district level.

The Assistant Directors are responsible for the implementation of policies and programs related to education at the school level. They provide technical support to the headmasters and teachers of government schools.

District offices, supervised by Deputy Directors of Education, are located in each of the 14 revenue districts for administrative convenience and to increase the effectiveness of school instruction. There are educational districts and educational sub-districts inside each revenue district. In the State, there are 163 educational sub-district offices led by Assistant Educational Officers (AEO) for the administration of all primary schools within the sub-district and 41 educational district offices headed by District Educational Officers (DEO) for the administration of high schools (HS), training schools, and other special types of schools. Higher secondary (HSS) and vocational higher secondary (VHSE) schools are under the administrative control of joint directors, regional deputy directors, deputy directors, and assistant directors.

Deputy Director of Education (DDE) heads the educational districts and Assistant Educational Officer (AEO) heads the educational sub-districts.  District Educational Officer (DEO) administers high schools, training schools and special category schools in educational districts.  AEO has administrative responsibility for all primary schools in the educational sub-district.

The Higher Secondary Wing (formerly Directorate of Higher Secondary Education) is a specific division within the Directorate of General Education in Kerala, India. It is responsible for overseeing and managing the higher secondary education system in the state. The Higher Secondary Wing focuses on the education provided to students in grades 11 and 12, commonly known as the higher secondary level or pre-university level.

Vocational Higher Secondary Education Wing is a specialized division within the General Education Directorate that focuses on vocational education at the higher secondary level.

• Director of General Education (Head of Department) (IAS cadre)
• Additional Director of General Education
• Joint Director of General Education
• Regional Deputy Director (Higher Secondary Education)
• Assistant Director (Vocational Higher Secondary Education)
• Deputy Director of Education (DDE)
• District Educational Officer (DEO)
• Assistant Educational Officer (AEO)
• Principal/Head Master of schools

• Kerala Board of Public Examination
• Kerala Board of Higher Secondary Examination
• State Council of Educational Research and Training, Kerala (SCERT)
• Kerala Education Mission
• Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE)
• State Council for Open and Lifelong Education (SCOLE, Kerala)
• Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority

• The official website of General Education Department, Government of Kerala