'Back to the classroom after years': Kerala CM Satheesan, minister swap Cabinet for notebooks at IIM Kozhikode

In an unusual move aimed at strengthening governance and leadership skills, Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan and members of his Cabinet temporarily swapped government files for notebooks while attending a two-day leadership workshop at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode.

CM V D Satheesan wrote on X, "Back to the classroom after years!" and shared the programme details. He wrote, "The special training programme ‘Reimagining Kerala’, aimed at bringing more professionalism and efficiency in governance, began today at IIM Kozhikode."

Satheesan said the initiative was intended to prepare Kerala for the challenges of the future. He emphasised that governance requires both political vision and professional management, particularly as the state works towards long-term development goals.

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Focus on modern governance

The sessions focused on areas including management, fiscal and structural reforms, administrative resilience and technology-driven governance. Ministers were also introduced to contemporary tools such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data-driven decision-making.

Satheesan said Kerala needed to prepare itself for the future rather than depend solely on traditional approaches. He stressed that policy decisions should be supported by proper analysis, consultation and testing before implementation.

According to the report, he noted that governments must first understand whether a proposed policy works in practice before taking it forward on a larger scale.

Ministers discuss AI and technology

The workshop also explored how technology could transform governance and improve public service delivery. Ministers were briefed on the growing role of AI, data and modern management practices in administration.

Several ministers said the sessions provided an opportunity to understand developments around the world and to consider how such practices could be adapted for Kerala.

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Tourism Minister P C Vishnunath highlighted the importance of leadership and policy formulation, while Labour and Child Welfare Minister Vina Bindhu Krishna shared experiences from the programme and underlined the value of learning from experts.

Lessons from other states

Satheesan also referred to the importance of inter-ministerial coordination and knowledge sharing. He cited the example of the 2011 government, which, he said, had taken steps towards improving coordination among ministers and creating opportunities to share knowledge and experiences.

The workshop was conducted under the guidance of IIM Kozhikode faculty, including Professor Debashis Chatterjee, who addressed the ministers on transformational leadership in the age of AI.