Grant aid to poor in CBSE/ICSE schools, government told

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday asked the government to consider reimbursing the cost of education borne by those from economically backward sections, for getting their wards educated in the self-financing schools affiliated to the CBSE and ICSE boards.

“Only a section of the people are able to afford education for their children in the expensive private schools. So the government could think of a reimbursement as it is not running schools affiliated to the CBSE or ICSE boards. By providing financial assistance to the students belonging to economically backward sections, the government would save on the expenditure for opening new schools for such students, the court said.

A Division Bench comprising Justice C N Ramchandran Nair and Justice C K Abdul Rahim issued the directive while considering a petition filed by Sreya Vinod, a lone student of Haji K H Khan Memorial LPS, Ponkunnam, seeking permission to write the exam in another government school.

The Bench observed that the case is an eye opener for the government as it has come to realise that several aided and government schools were facing ‘natural deaths’ on account of poor student strength.

“The government should consider a restructuring, by merging the uneconomic schools and those that do not have sufficient students and teachers, with the nearby government and aided schools. We do not understand why the government has not  implemented the suggestion,” the court said.

The court asked the state government to reconsider its proposal to start new schools and put an embargo on further appointment of teachers. The teachers in the uneconomic schools could be deployed to the other schools across the state, without any territorial restriction.

“Sixty to 70 per cent of the revenue is now  used for paying salary to 5 lakh employees and pension for 5,30,000 retired hands. The  majority of them are teachers,” the court said. The government should avoid starting new schools, given the number of already existing uneconomic schools. The restructuring of schools through mergers could save money, which could be put to developing the  infrastructure, purchasing school buses and improving sanitation and drinking water facilities, the court held.