Kerala's Major Move to Regularize 20,000 Aided School Teachers

The Kerala government announced the regularization of nearly 20,000 teachers in aided schools, pending Supreme Court outcomes. This addresses legal complexities around disability reservation and teacher appointments, with an impact on poll dynamics. The decision follows legal disputes over implementing a disability quota, affecting thousands of existing teachers.

In a significant educational reform, the Kerala government has initiated the process to regularize close to 20,000 teachers in the state's aided schools. The announcement by General Education Minister V Sivankutty is contingent on the final judgment from the Supreme Court regarding pending legal cases.

This decision is aimed at resolving long-standing legal challenges related to reservations for differently-abled persons and the validation of teacher appointments. The move comes in response to the apex court's order favoring the approval of general category teacher appointments, amidst the backdrop of protests from aided school managements.

Sivankutty emphasized the importance of implementing a four percent reservation for persons with disabilities, as per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2017. The state is committed to regularizing teachers under other managements, while legal proceedings continue for individual cases challenging previous regularization proposals.

(With inputs from agencies.)