Thiruvananthapuram: The managing authorities of aided schools which are on a collision course with the Kerala government over the latter's threat to regulate appointments of teachers has made it clear that they are ready to provide their institutions on rent.
The Kerala Private School Managers Association (KPSMA) announced that it was ready to rent out 3,000 schools currently under its management if the government is willing to take over their administration. However, the government should provide the rent prescribed by the Kerala State Public Works Department.
KPSMA General Secretary Mani Kollam said the association may consider legal action and agitation against the announcements made by Finance minister Thomas Isaac in the Budget.
In his budget speech on February 7, Isaac had said the government wanted the school managements to stop misinterpreting the Kerala Education Rules (KER) for appointing teachers and take prior nod of the government for recruitment.
On Sunday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had warned the managements of aided schools in the state against appointing teachers by providing inflated number of students. He also threatened the government wouldn't mind taking over them if needed.
The KPSMA was responding to the statement of the chief minister.
Mani, however, reasoned that the CM made the statement due to a misunderstanding.
"The finance minister had claimed in the Budget that 13,255 teachers remain in the protected category. As per the official figures of the General Education Department only 3,047 teachers were in this category. Isaac had claimed that the number of protected teachers ballooned as teaching posts were created without following the necessary procedures. These appointments were made as per the provisions of the Right to Education Act. The finance minister was falsely accusing the managers of illegally appointing these teachers. The managers took the stand owing to these reasons," Mani stated.
Mani asked the chief minister to convene a meeting to discuss the issues in the aided sector. The KPSMA would welcome action against any manager found to have committed malpractice in teacher appointments, he further said.
The KPSMA is set to meet on Tuesday.
