Do not deny educational justice yet again

As preparations for the Plus One admissions in the state progress, there has been no end to concerns about the regional imbalance. It is consoling though that this matter is under the review of the government. Although certain decisions were taken during a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, it is very inadequate given the gravity of the matter. It has now been decided to transfer the higher secondary batches which do not have enough students to the districts where there is a shortage of seats and to allocate new batches in the districts where there is a shortage of seats even after the main admission process. It has been agreed that 100 batches including 20 batches lying vacant in southern districts will be newly allotted to the Malabar districts.

Meanwhile, the disparity in the numbers between the students who passed the SSLC and the plus two seats has become clearer after the single window application deadline. Figures show that the shortage of plus two seats is acute in the districts from Palakkad to Kasaragod. Even if the seats in VHSE, ITI and Polytechnic courses are taken into account, there is a shortfall of 34,352 seats in these districts. Malappuram district alone has a shortfall of 22,267 seats. Palakkad (7386), Kozhikode (5145) and Kasaragod (3796) districts also have an acute scarcity of seats. It is clear that the steps currently being taken will not be enough to make up for these shortfalls. A permanent solution commensurate with the size and seriousness of the problem should be found rather than a temporary quick fix. The areas where the admission crisis prevails would like the Chief Minister’s interest in this regard to last till the complete resolution of the problem.

The Chief Minister's stance of finding an exact solution based on exact figures is logical. In the present circumstances, the shortage of seats will be resolved only after allotting 687 new batches in Malabar districts. It means that the hundred batches that are known to be under consideration now will not be sufficient to solve the crisis. 687 batches are required with a maximum of 50 students in the class; accommodating more students in the class will not be a solution. It is true that there are practical problems and technical hurdles in this regard. However, this cannot be taken as an excuse to prolong the problem which has been remaining unresolved for years. It was during the tenure of the Nayanar government when P.J. Joseph was the education minister, that such gross injustice ruined the state’s educational sector. Since then, regardless of whether the UDF or the LDF government was in office, the grievances of the Malabar region never seemed to end.

Ministers often try to deal with the complaints with accusations of North-South regionalism. But the truth is that the North-South divide was the governments'own creation. What those bearing the brunt of the problem want is to get the problem resolved. They are not the ones who created it. Public anger comes from injustice. What the authorities should do is look at the facts and figures before raising accusations of regionalism. That may be why the Pinarayi government appointed the Karthikeyan Nair Committee. Redressing injustice needs to be done in a way that is convincing to those concerned. The less the transparency, the more likely it will be deemed that the authorities have something to hide. The disparity in plus two seats is not just a matter of opinion; but based on figures. The hurdles in releasing the government-appointed Karthikeyan Committee's report, are yet to be clarified.

There would not have been any need to constitute the Karthikeyan Committee if it was to pretend that the problem has been solved by temporarily allowing additional batches and seats every year. It has not been made clear as to where and how many more seats and batches will be available in Malabar this year. And such additions will be beneficial only if it is sanctioned before the first allotment. The longer the decision is delayed, the more the chances for students to be pushed into the usual helplessness of relying on open school model. Last year more than 35,000 students sought refuge in open schools. About 31,000 of them were from Malabar district. If possible, the government should allocate permanent batches with permanent teaching posts, prepare an action plan to implement it in one or two years if it is not possible immediately and thus end once and for all the educational discrimination against Malabar in two years. - this is what the government can do to prove its sincerity. It is pointless to think of moving forward using temporary quick fixes every year.