Kerala to seek NSS-like teacher appointment benefits for all aided schools

Thiruvananthapuram | The Kerala government on Monday said it would take necessary legal steps to extend the exemptions and benefits granted to the NSS management by the Supreme Court in terms of the appointment of teachers to other aided school managements in the state.

The government would inform the court about its stand when the case is considered again, Education Minister V Sivankutty said here, announcing the Left regime's decision.

Later in the day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said hundreds of people, including individual teachers and aided school managements, have been raising the demand for long, and the government is hopeful that the top court would accept the plea.

The significant announcement by the government came after a standoff between the Pinarayi Vijayan government in the state and church managements over filling vacancies reserved for differently-abled candidates.

The issue pertains to the state government's refusal to allow teacher appointments from the general category in cases where vacancies reserved for differently-abled candidates remain unfilled in aided schools.

Sivankutty said in the present case, the NSS management has received a favourable judgement from the apex court in the case filed by them.

"The legal advice received by the government is that this judgement is applicable only to the NSS management. However, the government understands that a general and permanent solution to this issue needs to be found," he told reporters here.

A high-level meeting, convened by CM Vijayan and attended by law and general education ministers, the advocate general, the law secretary and other concerned officials, took stock of the situation. Thus, it has been decided to take necessary legal steps to extend the exemptions and benefits granted to the NSS management by the Supreme Court to other aided school managements in the state, Sivankutty said.

"The government aims for a comprehensive solution that fully protects the rights of the differently-abled community while also considering the legitimate concerns of the teaching community and managements," he said.

The minister further said the government is confident that the decision would usher in a new chapter in Kerala's education sector.

Stating that several similar cases are pending at the apex court, he said these cases include teacher recruitment and the appointment of differently-abled.

Based on the clarification that the final judgement of the court is needed to take a decision in this regard, the government would again approach the court for the same. This government is committed to ensuring social justice regarding the reservation of appointments for differently-abled persons in aided schools, the minister said.

One of the key policies of the state government is to ensure that the rights guaranteed by the Constitution are available to the weaker sections of society, especially the differently-abled, Sivankutty added.

The development came two days after Sivankutty had met Archbishop Thomas Tharayil of the Syro-Malabar Changanassery Archdiocese in Kottayam and assured a solution in this regard.

Meanwhile, Vijayan, while talking to reporters, reiterated the education minister's remarks and said the government’s stand is that the benefit granted by the top court should be extended to all school managements.

He said the government had earlier been directed by the supreme court to inform any action taken in this regard.

"That's why the government is informing the SC about our stand....We cannot take a unilateral decision...We hope that the court will accept it," the CM said.

When asked whether the government heeded the pressure exerted by the church managements in this regard, Vijayan said it was a demand of everyone, and that's why they have taken such a stand.