After focusing on issues such as man-animal conflict and land assignment for settlers in the high ranges, Kerala Congress parties have now turned their attention to concerns raised by Christian managements over teacher appointments in the aided sector.
While Kerala Congress, led by P.J. Joseph, flagged this issue during the ongoing Assembly session, Kerala Congress (M), an ally of the ruling Left Democratic Front, has now secured assurances from Public Education Minister V. Sivankutty to address the matter.
A delegation of Kerala Congress (M), led by Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine, met with Mr. Sivankutty, who assured them that committees appointed to examine the issue would submit their reports to the government within two weeks. Based on their findings, appropriate action will be taken.
“The Advocate General has clarified that the exemptions secured by NSS (Nair Service Society) from the Supreme Court apply only to them. In this context, the government is exploring feasible options to address the concerns of other managements. For this purpose, district- and State-level committees have been formed, and managements will have the opportunity to present their concerns before them,” the party said in a statement.
Earlier, Kerala Congress (M) had also taken up the matter directly with the Chief Minister.
The move by Kerala Congress (M) comes in the wake of P.J. Joseph, MLA and Executive Chairman of Kerala Congress, raising the issue in the Legislative Assembly through a calling attention motion.
Catholic school managements in central Travancore have openly voiced concerns over the State government’s stance that no other teacher appointments in aided schools can be approved without filling the quota for differently abled teachers.
According to these managements, teacher appointments between 2018 and 2021 were approved on a temporary basis. For all appointments in management schools after 2021, the government is prepared to proceed only on a daily-wage basis, denying them increments, grades and other benefits as per the Kerala Service Rules and Regulations.
Meanwhile, the KC(M) Kottayam District Committee has scheduled a half-day special meeting for party leaders in Kottayam on Thursday in preparation for upcoming elections. The meeting will include focused sessions on election strategies, highlighting the achievements of the LDF since KC(M) joined the coalition.
There will also be sessions on the party’s work in addressing issues faced by farmers and middle-class citizens, with particular emphasis on interventions led by party chairman Jose K. Mani. The discussions will highlight initiatives on the buffer zone issue, the new land assignment law, protection against wild animals and stray dogs and other voter engagement campaigns.
Published – September 30, 2025 07:21 pm IST
