Most of the State Eduction Ministers to-day [August 21] sharply disagreed with the Union Education Minister, Dr. Triguna Sen’s view that teachers be granted the right to participate actively in politics and contest elections. This disagreement came to the fore when Dr. Sen conferred with the Ministers at an informal meeting here [New Delhi] to discuss the national policy on education. Dr. Sen said there was nothing wrong if teachers were given the right to participate in politics and contest elections. The Maharashtra Education Minister, Mr. M.D. Chaudhuri, said that this would create practical difficulties in running schools efficiently. The Kerala Education Minister, Mr. Mohammed Koya, said political activity by teachers would vitiate the scholastic atmosphere in schools. In Kerala, he pointed out teachers in aided schools had this right to participate in politics but not the Government teachers. Mr. V.K. Malhotra, Chief Executive Councillor of Delhi, said denying teachers this right was highly objectionable. Several members of the Delhi Corporation and Metropolitan Council were teachers, and they should not be denied the right to contest elections. The Punjab Minister, Mr.Lachman Singh Gill said teachers should keep away from active politics. The Andhra Minister, Mr. T.V. Raghavulu said there would be practical difficulties if teachers took to politics. The Rajasthan Minister, Mr. Barakatullah Khan said politics was the bane of India and allowing teachers to enter it would be wrong. The West Bengal Minister, Mr. Jyoti Bhattacharya said teachers shoud be given political rights. The Education Commission and the M.Ps.’ committee had recommended this and there was no reason to oppose it. The Madras Minister, Mr. V.R. Nedunchezhian, said teachers should resign their jobs before they entered politics.
