School unification: Government seeks withdrawal of stay

KOCHI: Stay issued by the Kerala high court on the decision to merge three directorates of school education into one should be withdrawn, the Kerala government has demanded.
The demand was raised by the government in an application filed on Tuesday through senior government pleader Nisha Bose.
With the court issuing a stay on June 17, implementation of the recommendations on the basis of the report of the three-member committee headed by MA Khader, former director of SCERT, has come to a standstill, the government said.
The move is intended to ensure quality of education and it is not mere unification of the three directorates of school education, government has contended.
Unification of the school directorates is also required for ensuring that various central funds can be availed, the government pointed out, while stating that implementation of the recommendations is being carried out in stages after carrying out consultations with different stakeholders.
Empowerment of principals as head of institution is intended to provide a uniform governance structure in administrative and other matters in a campus having higher secondary school, high school, and vocational higher secondary schools, government’s application stated. In the present system, multiple heads and leadership are seen causing hindrances in the implementation of various government initiatives and projects, government added.
Unification of the school system would help in development of the campus as a unit, implementation of drug-free campus, implementation of green protocol, better coordination with local self-government institution in plan discussions and in implementation of projects, and in maintaining campus discipline, the government told the court.