Kerala - Kochi   

Education Minister ignoring stakeholders: Thankachan

KOCHI: United Democratic Front convener P.P. Thankachan has alleged that Education Minister M.A. Baby does not consult the stakeholders in the education sector even while reforming the Kerala Education Rules or changing the school syllabus.

He was delivering the inaugural address at the delegates’ meeting of the Kerala State Service Pensioners’ Association.

Mr. Thankachan said changes in syllabus, made once in 10 to 12 years, affected the education of an entire generation. A discussion should have been held before enforcing them.

He said the handbook distributed to teachers was equally if not more dangerous than the Communist-ideology-loaded controversial textbook. Mr. Thankachan alleged that the quality of textbooks was so poor that the students would stand no chance against those from the Central Board of Secondary Education system while competing for admissions to professional courses after Plus Two.

He alleged that the list of authors of the textbook was not given because the authors were not qualified to do the job.

Mr. Thankachan said the UDF had not instigated religious bodies against the textbook. But a majority of the people in the State were believers and therefore, their sentiments should be taken into account.

Mr. Thankachan alleged that there was no sincerity in the Left’s opposition to the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal.

According to him, the Left’s opposition stems from two reasons: by securing the deal, India may surpass China as the major country in Asia, which is not to its liking, and it is apprehensive of losing its Muslim support base by backing a deal involving U.S. President George Bush.

Mr. Thankachan said the deal did not surrender the country’s sovereignty and was, in fact, better than a similar one China had entered into with the U.S.

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