Kerala minister cancels school scholarship exam organised by RSS
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Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Education Minister N. Shamsudheen has ordered the withdrawal of permission for a scholarship examination organised by Balagokulam’s publication Mayilpeeli in schools across the state, following a controversy over the Education Department’s initial approval.
The department had earlier granted permission for the ‘Young Scholar Exam’, jointly organised by Mayilpeeli and the Rashtriya Shikshak Parishad (RSP), a teachers’ organisation considered sympathetic to the RSS. The approval triggered criticism, prompting the minister to seek an explanation from the Director of General Education before directing the department to revoke the permission.
The examination was proposed for upper-primary and high-school students. Actor Unni Mukundan was named its brand ambassador.
The department had approved the event after considering an application submitted by T. Anoop Kumar, general secretary of the Rashtriya Shikshak Parishad. The organisation receiving departmental permission to conduct such an examination was reported to be a first.
The decision to grant approval to a publication associated with Balagokulam and an RSS-aligned teachers’ organisation had drawn attention to the role of ideological groups in activities conducted within government-recognised schools. The minister’s intervention came after the initial clearance became controversial.
With the withdrawal order, the organisers will no longer be able to conduct the examination in schools under the permission previously granted by the General Education Department.