IAS officer’s post on reforms after UDF victory sparks debate in Kerala

With the UDF set to form the next government in Kerala after its emphatic electoral victory, a young IAS officer on Sunday proposed a series of long-term reforms, such as raising the retirement age, promoting nightlife, expanding English-medium education, and bifurcating large districts like Malappuram.

With the UDF set to form the next government in Kerala after its emphatic electoral victory, a young IAS officer on Sunday proposed a series of long-term reforms, such as raising the retirement age, promoting nightlife, expanding English-medium education, and bifurcating large districts like Malappuram. A Facebook post by Dilip K Kainikkara, currently serving as Tirur Sub-Collector, triggered widespread discussion on social media, drawing both support and criticism. The 2022-batch officer, in his post, said the newly elected government had a rare opportunity to undertake long-term reforms that may face initial resistance but would ultimately benefit society. Calling for an increase in the retirement age from the present 56 years, he said Kerala's higher life expectancy and improved health indicators warranted a reassessment of the existing retirement structure. According to him, retiring employees at 56 and beginning pension payments immediately is not economically prudent, and raising the retirement age to at least 58 would help rationalise human resource management in government. The officer also advocated the division of large districts, particularly Malappuram, arguing that smaller districts would improve administrative efficiency and public access to government services. An IIT Madras BTech graduate, he said that, in his personal view, an ideal district should roughly correspond to the size of a Lok Sabha constituency or around seven Assembly segments, though such restructuring would involve additional expenditure. He noted that the resulting improvements in administrative efficiency and public convenience-especially access to government services-would make it a worthwhile investment. Among other proposals, Kainikkara stressed the need to encourage nightlife and related activities in the state to boost tourism and attract investment in the service sector. He further suggested limiting Malayalam-medium education largely to the lower primary level while gradually transitioning upper primary, high school and higher secondary education to English-medium instruction. Such a shift, he argued, would help prevent new social inequalities linked to language and access to education. The IAS officer also called for reforms in the school evaluation system, saying the current grading pattern had diluted academic standards. He said the practice of indiscriminate awarding of A+ grades should be discontinued, and grading should more accurately reflect students' academic performance and learning outcomes. Kainikkara also urged a review of the unconditional all-pass policy in schools to ensure that students achieve basic educational competencies.