This is USA! 6-yr-old boy shoots teacher after argument at elementary school

News Network

January 7, 2023

A six-year-old boy was taken into police custody on Friday, January 6, after he shot a teacher at Rickneck Elementary School in Newport News city of Virginia state in United States of America, several media reported citing police chief Steve Drew.

The police chief said that the female teacher who was in her 30s was shot in a classroom and stressed that "this was not an accidental shooting."

"In reference to the investigation below, the suspect has been identified as a 6-year-old male student at Richneck Elementary School. The student is in custody." Newport News Police Department announced in an official statement.

It further said, "The victim has been identified as a teacher. The teacher's injuries are believed to be life-threatening. The investigation remains ongoing."

Police Chief Steve Drew said that the six-year-old has been taken into custody. Drew said that the police department is in contact with the commonwealth attorney and some other entities to get services for the boy, CNN reported.

The police chief said that there was an altercation between the teacher and a student who was having a firearm. According to Steve Drew, a single round was fired.

"The individual is a 6-year-old student. He is right now in police custody," CNN quoted Steve Drew as saying.

"We have been in contact with our commonwealth attorney and some other entities to help us best get services to this young man," Drew added.

On Friday, Steve Drew stated that the injuries of the teacher were considered "life-threatening." However, he said there was "some improvement in the last update that we got," according to CNN. The police chief said that there were no other students involved in the incident. He further said that an investigation is underway into the matter.

"We will get the investigation done, there are questions we will want to ask and find out about. I want to know where that firearm came from, what was the situation," CNN quoted Steve Drew as saying.

Newport News Public Schools Superintendent George Parker said that Richneck Elementary School will be closed Monday, as per the news report. Speaking at a press conference, Parker said, "I'm in shock, and I'm disheartened." Parker stressed that they need to educate children and need to keep them safe.

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Mangaluru’s KPT becomes India’s first autonomous govt polytechnic

News Network

January 23,2026

Mangaluru: The Karnataka Government Polytechnic (KPT), Mangaluru, has achieved autonomous status from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), becoming the first government polytechnic in the country to receive such recognition in its 78-year history. The status was granted by AICTE, New Delhi, and subsequently approved by the Karnataka Board of Technical Education in October last year.

Officials said the autonomy was conferred a few months ago. Until recently, AICTE extended autonomous status only to engineering colleges, excluding diploma institutions. However, with a renewed national focus on skill development, several government polytechnics across India have now been granted autonomy.

KPT, the second-largest polytechnic in Karnataka, was established in 1946 with four branches and has since expanded to offer eight diploma programmes, including computer science and polymer technology. The institution is spread across a 19-acre campus.

Ravindra M Keni, the first dean of the institution, told The Times of India that AICTE had proposed autonomous status for polytechnic institutions that are over 25 years old. “Many colleges applied. In the first round, 100 institutions were shortlisted, which was further narrowed down to 15 in the second round. We have already completed one semester after becoming an autonomous institution,” he said. He added that nearly 500 students are admitted annually across eight three-year diploma courses.

Explaining the factors that helped KPT secure autonomy, Keni said the institution has consistently recorded 100 per cent admissions and placements for its graduates. He also noted its strong performance in sports, with the college emerging champions for 12 consecutive years, along with active student participation in NCC and NSS activities.

Autonomous status allows KPT to design industry-oriented curricula, conduct examinations, prepare question papers, and manage academic documentation independently. The institution can also directly collaborate with industries and receive priority funding from AICTE or the Ministry of Education. While academic autonomy has been granted, financial control will continue to rest with the state government.

“There will be separate committees for examinations, question paper setting, boards of studies, and boards of examiners. The institution will now have the freedom to conduct admissions without government notifications and issue its own marks cards,” Keni said, adding that new academic initiatives would be planned after a year of functioning under the autonomous framework.

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