A series of decisions taken by the Education Department in recent times, including the one giving recognition to more than 300 unaided schools, will only help seriously damage the public education system in the State, various teachers’ unions and educational workers have observed.
The government through an order issued on May 14 this year had given recognition to as many 308 schools in different parts of the State. Around 200 more such schools were awaiting government sanction. This was a completely thoughtless and irresponsible move from the government, a resolution passed by the Kerala Sastra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) at its recently concluded State conference said.
Quality issues
The KSSP said that the decision would have far-reaching and serious consequences on the quality of public education in the State.
The resolution raised doubts if the move was part of a deliberate attempt on the part of the ruling parties to topple the much-acclaimed public education system of the State and thereby help the private education lobbies.
The Kerala School Teachers’ Association said that the move was a seriously flawed one.
The association had been highly critical of the education policies of the United Democratic Front government, including its decision to implement the recommendations of the P.K. Abdul Aziz committee report aiming at a revision of the existing curriculum.
The KSTA expressed its stern discontentment over the Education Department’s lenience towards various communal forces, which, according to it, had led the government to indiscriminately give recognition to unaided schools.
‘Regressive tendency’
The Kerala Aided Higher Secondary Teachers’ Association (KAHSTA) has criticised the government’s ‘faulty’ education policies. A series of moves by the UDF government in recent times, including the decision to revise the curriculum without any scientific study, giving recognition to unaided schools, and the issues in connection with SSLC results publication were symptomatic of an “unpardonably regressive” tendency.
“The government’s negligence and lackadaisical approach were reflected in several areas, including its failure to make textbooks available on time,” said A.K. Abdul Hakkim, State treasurer of the KAHSTA. The association has observed that public education has seriously suffered under the UDF government.
