Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government's move to overhaul school administration hit a hurdle as the High Court has stayed the implementation of the Khader committee report. The panel had called for merging the high school and higher secondary streams and bringing them under one single body. The Kerala High Court has issued a notice to the state government seeking an explanation on the matter.

The state government's counsel couldn't convincingly answer in the court whether the proposed move was the apt one in the light of radical changes envisaged by the National Education Policy. Subsequently, the court stayed the implementation of the panel proposals.

A few teachers' associations had filed a petition against the merger of two distinct school bodies which would have overhauled the framework of school education drastically.

The Khader committee, which was constituted for assessing the implementation of the Right to Education Act in Kerala, had suggested major reforms that apparently violate existing laws, the organisations of teachers had alleged.

The implementation of the report will affect matters including the promotion of the faculty. The state government is trying to forcefully implement the policy without taking the teachers' associations into confidence. The government has also failed to highlight what benefits will accrue from the fundamental changes suggested in the report, they added.

Last month, the state government had decided to unify the high school, higher secondary and even the vocational higher secondary departments as per the panel recommendations. The proposals, which included the clubbing together of general education, higher secondary and vocational higher secondary directorates, were to be implemented in a piecemeal fashion.

General exams of SSLC, VHSC as well as of Plus One, Plus-Two will be held by the Commissioner of Exams under the newly constituted Directorate of General Education. These exams are currently being held by the Director of Public Instruction (DPI), Directorate of Vocational Higher Secondary Education (DVHSE) and Directorate of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE).

In the new system, a principal will head the school, and the current headmaster will become the vice-principal. As of now, the principal and headmaster head the higher-secondary and high-school sections, respectively.