Plus Two schools: Govt to appeal against HC order

August 20, 2014 04:26 pm | Updated 04:26 pm IST - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said here on Wednesday that the government would go on appeal against the interim order of the High Court disallowing the sanctioning of higher secondary schools and batches without recommendation of committee headed by Director of Higher Secondary Education.

Talking to the media after a meeting of the Cabinet, the Chief Minister said that the Court directive to issue notice to the Cabinet subcommittee, which had recommended sanctioning of schools in addition to those recommended by the Director’s committee, was not legally tenable. “If the Cabinet is merely to sanction list submitted by the Director, what is the need for a democratic government?” he asked.

Maintaining that the High Court order was not a set back to the government, the Chief Minister said that the schools were sanctioned because the Cabinet subcommittee was satisfied about the need. The Court itself had ordered earlier that schools should be sanctioned on the basis of need. However, it disallowed some of the schools on the ground that there was nothing on the file to establish their need. However, the government would be able to substantiate the need.

Mr. Chandy noted that the government had specified that there should be 40 students in a new school in the first year and 50 in the second year for the Plus One course. The number of applications itself would substantiate the need.

He said that pending appeal; the government would go by the interim order and resume admissions to schools and batches permitted by the High Court. The admission process had been suspended because of doubts over which schools were eligible to carry on with admissions. These would be clarified by the Director of Higher Secondary Education by publishing a list on the Department website on Wednesday itself.

The Chief Minister said that the one time settlement package for loans availed by farmers of Wayanad from the State Housing Board would be extended till the end of October. The scheme which provides relief from liabilities including penal interest (which was to be waived by the Board) had expired in June 2011. The previous government brought the scheme.

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