KANNUR: General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Tuesday ruled out any change in the government’s stand in revising the school timings. The revision applies only to classes 8 to 10, the minister said, noting that the number of students who attended religious studies in these grades was very low.
The top priority is to protect the educational rights of students, reiterated Sivankutty. “The government is not against religious education, but students’ academics come first,” he said.
Saying he had spoken with Jifri Thangal (Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama president Syed Mohammed Jifri Muthukoya Thangal), Sivankutty clarified the recent discussions were not about altering school timings but about addressing any misunderstandings. “Someone has misled them. The meeting was intended to clear doubts, not to make changes,” he explained.
Sivankutty said classes in unaided schools in Malappuram and Kozhikode start at 9am.
“We have 10 schools in Gulf countries. Schools run by the authorities there start at 9am,” he said, and stressed that the government was committed to safeguarding the interests of all 47 lakh students in Kerala. He also clarified that the government holds no opposition to the beliefs of any religious group. “We are open to discussions with anyone regarding the extension of school hours,” he said.
On the padapooja row, Sivankutty said washing the feet of teachers, retired teachers, or any prominent individuals by students as part of traditional customs will not be permitted in the state’s schools.
“The education department has tasked the director of general education with investigating schools where such practices took place. These acts remind me of age-old practices in the modern world. School authorities under the leadership of RSS said they will grant protection to institutions for the (padapooja) ceremony.
However, those schools will face difficulty in running the institution legally,” Sivankutty said.
Community organisations should focus on matters related to their respective communities or religions; eduction is the responsibility of the democratically-elected government, the minister said, while also emphasising that religion and education should stay separate and will not be allowed to mingle under any circumstances.