After a circular on higher secondary school appointments kicked up a row, Education Minister P K Abdu Rabb and Higher Secondary Education Director Keshvendra Kumar who issued the circular, shared the dais for the first time at an official function here on Thursday but both refused to further join the issue.
The Director and the Minister, who attended the function to release five handbooks and reference books for teachers prepared by the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT), were seen engaged in serious discussions. Later, media persons asked the Minister whether there was any further development on the circular row. “I have already spoken on the issue. Things stand where it stood on Wednesday,” Abdu Rabb said. The Education Minister had on Wednesday said that a decision on whether any action should be initiated against Kumar would be taken after studying the report by General Education Secretary K Ellangovan on the issue. Speaking to ‘Express’ on the sidelines of the function, Keshvendra Kumar said that he had already explained his views to the General Education Secretary. He also indicated that certain clauses in the circular, such as reducing the weightage of marks awarded by the interview board, might be revised by the government. “Let us wait for the Secretary’s report,” he said.
Kumar had on July 18 issued a circular which laid down strict norms on appointment to teaching and non-teaching posts in aided higher secondary schools.
Education Minister P K Abdu Rabb on Thursday released five teachers’ handbooks prepared by the SCERT. The handbooks deal with Life Skill Education, Sports Education, Guidance & Counselling, Road Safety and School Mathematics Lab Guidelines.