The State government has issued a notification amending the Kerala State and Subordinate Services Rules (KSSSR) 1958, making proficiency in Malayalam language mandatory for entry to government services. The Aikya Malayala Prasthanam, which has been at the forefront of protests to ensure that Malayalam be made a basic requirement for government servants, has welcomed the amendment.
As per the addition to to the Rule 10 of the KSSSR, "a probationer in a service in the entry cadre who has not studied Malayalam as one of the languages till Standard 10 or as a subject at Plus Two or at degree level shall pass within the period of probation, a language test in Malayalam with not less than 40% marks conducted by the Kerala Public Service Commission which shall be equivalent to Senior Higher Diploma test of the Malayalam Mission".
Exemptions
Class IV employees and those who have already passed the Senior Higher Diploma test of Malayalam Mission are exempted from passing the test conducted by the PSC. The existing provisions in rule 10 of the KSSSR regarding linguistic minorities will remain as such, exempting such communities from the newly introduced test.
Move hailed
"The Aikya Malayala Prasthanam has been raising this demand for several years. We welcome the amendments. There is a general belief among the people here that you will not get a job if you learn your mother tongue. These beliefs can be changed only through such steps from the government. Also, the privileged position provided to English comes from an approach which ignores marginalised communities from the rural areas. Powerful caste and religious forces also play a role in sidelining Malayalam language. Only someone who has a basic knowledge of the language can explain the policies of the government to the public as well as understand their issues," said R. Nandakumar, convener of the Aikya Malayala Prasthanam.
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