THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 15th state conference of the All-Kerala School Teachers’ Union (AKSTU) would be held here from February 16 to 18. This was announced by AKSTU general secretary N Sreekumar in a press meeting on Tuesday.
He said that the Central and State Governments were pursuing educational policies detrimental to the public education sector. Under this policy, masses are being deprived of their right to education.
The Central Government’s policy of promoting private-public tie-ups is spreading to the educational sector also. That is why the government announced financial aid to 25 percent students studying in unaided schools.
Meanwhile, the State Government is handing over NoCs to unaided schools on a daily basis.
“The government is encouraging the growth of unaided sector by allowing to spend MP funds for unaided schools,” he said.
The office-bearers of the union also took potshots at the previous LDF Govt, saying that they failed to effectively intervene in the working of the Education Department.
“The failure of the then government to deal with issues such as job security of teachers led to their debacle in the election,” they said.
They also lambasted the current UDF government, saying that the government was only making announcements for the sector. The teachers’ package is stuck where it has started.
The UDF was abetting private managements to rob lakhs of rupees from the public by allotting new posts.
“Various demands including recognising Malayalam as the first language and exempting higher secondary principals from charge of classes still remains unimplemented,” they said.
The conference would start with a procession on February 16. CPI leader C Divakaran would inaugurate the public meeting at Gandhi Park. The delegates meet would be inaugurated on February 17 by CPI state secretary C K Chandrappan.