KOCHI: The prime land of FACT in Kochi had always been a hot spot for private investors who are keen to take over the land on lease at a cheap price.
The latest attempt has been made by St Ann's Higher Secondary School, and the Industries Department has given green signal to it.
Industries Additional Secretary M P Ranji, on behalf of the Additional Chief Secretary, has submitted a report to the chairman and managing director of FACT stating that the state government has agreed to allot three acres of land on lease to the school management.
However, the same Additional Chief Secretary had earlier rejected the proposal citing the reason that the land could be used only for industrial purpose.
Irrespective of political affiliations, all the trade unions of FACT, had submitted a memorandum to the FACT management to withdraw from the move to hand over the land to a private school management. They pointed out that the move to hand over the land on lease was being made when the management and trade unions were collectively trying to form an employees cooperative society to take over the management of the leased schools.
At present, four schools are functioning on FACT land and they provide educational facilities to the children of FACT employees. The Udyogamandal School is run by the Muslim Educational Society (MES), FACT Ambalamedu High School by the FACT Employees Cooperative Society, FACT High School, Udyogamandal, by TocH management, and FACT Eastern UP School, Udyogamandal, by the MES.
Meanwhile, Industries Minister Elamaram Kareen told reporters in New Delhi that the Industries Department had taken the decision to allot the land following request from Opposition Leader Oommen Chandy and local MLA A M Yusuf.
He pointed out that the decision was taken considering the request to allow the children of the employees of FACT to have their education on the industrial premises itself.
There are around 2,550 students studying in the three schools run by private managements collecting fees on a par with the selffinancing schools. But, the school run by the society is providing education free of cost.
Ironically, around 720 children of FACT employees are having their education there and the rest of the students are from the families of non-FACT employees.
The trade union leaders pointed out that the move to allot land to a private management was taken at a time when a majority of the students studying in these schools are not from the families of the FACT employees.
Already, legal action has been initiated against the management of the schools which are functioning on the premises of FACT to terminate their services as the management and the employees have shown keen interest in running the educational institutions under a society.