Education Minister orders probe into ‘unauthorised’ holiday announcement at Kasaragod school

Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty has taken cognizance of the declaration of holiday at Sri Gopalakrishna High School at Kudlu, Kasaragod, in connection with the Prana Pratishtha in Ayodhya, without obtaining necessary permission from the Education department.

He directed the Director of General Education to conduct an inquiry into the matter. The investigation has to be completed within 24 hours with a comprehensive report.

Headmaster Sreehari Bhat declared a holiday for the school reportedly due to pressure from the panchayat president, parent-teacher association (PTA), and local residents. Though permission was sought from the Education department, the request was denied as the government had not officially announced a holiday.

Deputy Director of Education N. Nandikeshan clarified that, in the absence of official authorisation, the department had rejected the request.

The headmaster said the decision was taken to avoid “unnecessary issues”. He told The Hindu that compensatory classes had been scheduled for February 3 to make up for the unscheduled holiday. He said pressure came from various quarters, including the Madhur panchayat president, BJP leaders, and the PTA. “They had submitted a letter demanding closure of the school in connection with the Prana Pratishtha. There were also threats of protests if a holiday was not declared,” he said.

Mr. Bhat said the decision to announce the holiday was taken in consultation with the school manager and the District Education Officer.