Govt. will conduct inquiry: Minister

By Our Staff Reporter

THRISSUR, MAY 31. The Education Minister, Mr. Nalakath Soopy, has said that the Government will conduct an inquiry into the allegations of corruption in the allocation of Plus Two courses during the previous LDF regime.

Talking to presspersons after inaugurating a training programme at the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) here today, he said the Government was yet to decide on the mode of inquiry.

He said the UDF Government would sanction Plus Two courses in aided schools only if they were found absolutely essential due to the huge financial requirements. The Government would have to bear a burden of Rs. 220 crores for paying salaries to the teaching and non-teaching staff in the Plus Two sector. However, Plus Two courses would be sanctioned in unaided schools. In the aided sector, the Government would have to sanction Plus Two courses to those schools which had obtained a High Court order in this regard.

Asked whether the ban on appointments will affect the recruitment of Plus Two teachers, the Minister said, ``of course there are financial constraints for fresh recruitments, but this doesn't mean there will be shortage of teachers. This can be filled either through temporary appointments or through recruitments.''

DPEP in high schools

The Minister said that the UDF Government has serious reservations about continuing the District Primary Education Programme curriculum in the present form in high schools.

He, however, said that the DPEP would continue at the primary level. The scheme required modifications at the upper primary level too, the Minister said.

According to the Minister, an education system without examinations would not produce the desired results. Even countries like China had to abandon such experiments in education. Mr. Soopy said steps would be taken to reintroduce the examination system even while continuing the DPEP scheme at primary and upper primary levels.

The Minister said the text books for all classes except eighth standard would be made available immediately after the schools are reopened on June 6. Text books for the eighth standard, however, would be finalised after the Government decision on the continuation of the DPEP curriculum in high schools. The decision is expected within four days, he said.

Self-financing colleges

The Minister said the UDF had already made it clear that it was not against self-financing colleges in the professional education sector.

``Of course, we will not be able to start colleges indiscriminately like some other States have done. The AICTE has given recognition to 14 self-financing colleges in the State, which had been finally approved by the previous LDF Government. However, the universities in Kerala have not given recognition to these proposed colleges so far. The Government is trying to find out how to overcome this situation,'' Mr. Soopy said.

He said the UDF would explore the possibility of ensuring loans for poor students to get admission in the payment seats of self- financing colleges, with the Government standing as surety.

Open school system

On the open school system, the Minister said though the scheme was started at the national level with the objective of reaching education to maximum number of students, there were some defects when it was implemented under the SCERT in Kerala. These defects had to rectified, he said.

Earlier, in his inaugural address the Minister said the Government was planning to provide computers to 1,000 more schools in the State with the help of local bodies and PTAs.

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