The CJP-led protest in Delhi has stirred considerable buzz in Kerala, with politicians, celebrities, activists and student groups jostling to express solidarity.
Meanwhile, a similar protest — though far smaller in scale — has been continuing outside the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, where young teacher aspirants are seeking answers over employment and an uncertain future.
For over 20 days, lower primary school teacher rank-holders have been protesting outside the Secretariat, demanding immediate appointments from the PSC rank list published on May 31 last year and accurate reporting of vacancies.
The protesters want schools to have one teacher for every 25 students and head teachers to be relieved of regular classroom duties. They are also demanding that vacancies be reported within 24 hours and that the validity of the existing rank list be extended, giving more candidates a chance to secure appointments.
Their other demands include ending the direct recruitment of teachers by private aided school managements and bringing such appointments, along with head teacher vacancies, under the PSC.
“Our LP School Teacher rank list was published nearly 15 months ago. Yet even the first-ranked candidates in five districts have not received appointments. In some other districts, fewer than 10 appointments have been made,” says Vijith E, a rank-holder.
According to him, most school vacancies are reported during June and July. “Two June-July cycles have already passed. If we do not receive appointments by next June or July, the list will expire,” he says.
“The government must either extend the validity of the rank list or find a solution to the vacancies affected by division fall.”
Over the past several days, the rank-holders have adopted different forms of symbolic protest to draw attention to their demands — including eating soil outside the Secretariat and kneeling on pieces of rock salt.
Despite these demonstrations, they say they are yet to receive a concrete response from the authorities.
“We have approached the authorities several times. Each time, they say they need time to study the issue, but nothing happens. The education minister said the department had been asked to examine the matter and submit a report, but we have not heard anything further,” Vijith says.
The protesters said they had secured a meeting with the minister on Friday. Their next course of action will depend on the outcome of the discussion. If the response is not favourable, they plan to intensify the agitation through measures including a symbolic head-shaving protest and a mass gathering of rank-holders.
“More than 10,000 candidates are included in the rank list. We are protesting for everyone.
A job is the dream and hope of every candidate and their family. Reaching a PSC rank list is not easy. Thousands of people compete, and years of effort go into it,” says Amala S Nath, a rank-holder.
“We come from ordinary families and different circumstances. After investing so much effort, it is difficult even to find the mental space to begin preparing for another examination.”
Meanwhile, videos of several rank-holders lamenting that their peaceful agitation has received far less attention than the CJP protest have gone viral.
“I heard people from Kerala are thronging Delhi to join the protest,” says one PSC aspirant. “We are just a few hundred metres away from the centre of power here.”
Another feels the activist ecosystem and politicians have largely ignored them. “We studied day and night to secure the ranks. This job is our dream. Not one of the politicians who headed to Delhi cared to visit us. Not one celebrity or influencer has cared to raise our issue,” she says.
Vijith acknowledges that the two agitations differ in their circumstances and demands. “But, at the end of the day, both protests are seeking justice. Both are asking governments to be accountable,” he says.
“We have been under immense emotional strain, waiting indefinitely for appointments. It is a disturbing thought that people often feel extreme actions are required to gain public attention.”
This is not the first such protest by PSC aspirants. Similar agitations have become a recurring feature in Kerala. Calls for systemic reforms, however, often fade away after some grumbles.
On that note, a fresh complaint regarding PSC recruitment to Kerafed surfaced on Friday. Candidates alleged that a new notification had been issued by bypassing an existing rank list.
A special investigation team has sought details from the complainants, who have also questioned the PSC chairman’s alleged intervention.