The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Shift system in schools to go soon

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Friday, Jul 06, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Shift system in schools to go soon

Special Correspondent

Primary education for all in two years
Government forms advisory council

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Education Minister M.A. Baby said in the Assembly on Thursday that shift system in schools would end soon.

Replying to a debate on the demand for grants for Education, Sports, Art and Culture, the Minister said that the system would be abolished from all schools in five years. Now, 484 schools were functioning in thatched sheds. These would be replaced with tiled buildings.

Mr. Baby said the State would achieve primary education for all in two years through equivalency examinations. Kerala would be the first State to achieve total coverage in primary education. He said the staff of Kalamandalam in Thrissur district had withdrawn their strike scheduled for Thursday, following assurances given by the Government on pay revision.

Denying politicisation of the higher education council and the Akademies, the Minister said an advisory council was formed as per the guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC). In addition, the Government formed an advisory council. Eminent persons such as U.R. Ananthamoorthy and N. Ram were its members. Others were ex-officio members and representatives of three-tier panchayats.

Those appointed as chairmen of academies were men who could lead the institutions eminently.

Denying Opposition criticisms about panchayats interfering excessively in school education, Mr. Baby said the Government transferred no new powers to the panchayats. It might be that the panchayats had shown some overzealousness in managing the institutions transferred to them under the provisions of the Panchayat Raj Act.

He said the legislation on self-financing colleges helped in ensuring 50 per cent Government quota in admissions last year. This was not the case before.

Chandy’s stance

Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy interjected to argue that 50:50 ratio had been maintained in admissions throughout the rule of the UDF Government though the fee structure had varied.

Mr. Baby said the pressure of public consciousness and the will of the Government were forcing private managements to concede 50 per cent quota to the Government. They had also come forward to reserve some seats for the poor and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.After the Minister’s reply, the House passed the demands for grants totalling Rs.3,764.30 crore.

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