Kerala proposes scrapping of high school system

Friday, March 30, 2012: Education Minister PK Abdu Rabb had on Thursday proposed abolition of the well-established and time-tested high school and vocational higher secondary school systems, triggering instant protests from various quarters in the state.
Addressing a conference of the higher secondary school principals here, he said that abolition of the high schools was necessary as per the federal government’s Right to Education Act, which the state has decided to implement.
Under the Act, class 5 will have to be brought under lower primary system and class 8 under the upper primary system. This will leave class 9 and 10 isolated. He said that the government was of the firm opinion that they should be brought under the higher secondary system.
The Minister said that the government was planning to effect the changes by the year 2013, when it will implement the Right to Education Act.
As regards the vocational higher secondary system, Abdu Rabb said the government was planning the measure to make vocational education more accessible to students. He said that the present vocational higher secondary courses would be brought under the higher secondary schools as optional subjects.
The minister said that the government would help the schools to set up infrastructure in all higher secondary schools for imparting vocational courses.
Students and teachers organisations have expressed dismay over the minister’s announcement. Students and teachers bodies belonging to the Left parties said that the minister should have discussed 
the matter with them before 
going public.
The Youth Congress and Kerala Students Union (KSU), the youth and student wing of the ruling Congress, have also taken strong exception to the development. 
The leaders of the two organisations pointed out that the changes will have far reaching repercussions on the teachers and the 
students alike.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Ramesh Chennithala said that he was not sure whether a decision to effect the changes was taken by the education department or not.
“The matter was not discussed in the ruling United Democratic Front. I will talk to the minister and find out the actual position”, he added.