Kerala Withdraws Approval for BJP-Linked Scholarship Exam
Thiruvananthapuram: The General Education Department of Kerala has revoked permission granted to the National Teachers’ Union (NTU), a BJP-affiliated organization, to conduct a scholarship examination in schools across the state in association with Mayilpeeli, a magazine published by Balagokulam.
Decision Follows Complaints
The decision was made following complaints that the examination was politically motivated. Acting on the directions of Education Minister N Shamsudheen, the Director of General Education withdrew the previously granted approval.
Minister Seeks Explanation
The minister’s office stated that the approval was issued without his knowledge. The Director of General Education had initially granted permission approximately one month prior, based on an application submitted in July by T Anoop Kumar, the state general secretary of the National Teachers’ Parishad.
Exam Conducted Despite Concerns
Despite the withdrawal, the NTU conducted school-level examinations a week ago and sub-district-level examinations on Saturday. According to T Anoop Kumar, the examination took place in 90 per cent of the sub-districts. He noted that the remaining stages – district and state-level competitions – will be conducted online.
Questioning the Decision
Anoop Kumar questioned the decision, citing other organizations that conduct similar competitions through publications linked to political parties. He provided examples including Aksharamuttam (a quiz organized by CPM mouthpiece Deshabhimani), examinations conducted by Malarvadi (associated with the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI)), and the CH Quiz organized by the Indian Union Muslim League.
Previous Similar Events
Anoop Kumar also pointed out that the National Teachers’ Parishad had previously conducted scholarship examinations in schools in association with the Vivekananda Sahitya Sarvaswam during the previous LDF government’s tenure.
Source: Onmanorama. Featured image credit: Onmanorama.
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