Oommen Chandy flays govt inaction' on special schools

Thiruvananthapuram: Former chief minister Oommen Chandy has flayed the LDF government for ignoring the demands of the special schools in the state. Though it had announced a special school package worth Rs 400 crore in November last to develop 288 special schools, no action had been taken to implement it, he said.

He was addressing a march taken out by 4,500 special school teachers, non-teaching staff and parents to the Assembly from Martyrs’ Square, Palayam, here on Thursday.

Mr Chandy said the LDF government had cancelled the decision taken by the previous UDF government sanctioning aided category to 33 special schools. “It’s close to a year since the chief minister appointed a sub-committee comprising chief secretary Tom Jose, additional chief secretary Rajeev Sadanandan, general education secretary A. Shahjahan and social justice secretary Biju Prabhakar to look into the matter. But it is yet to hold a meeting,” he said and added that social justice minister K. K. Shylaja had promised in the Assembly to implement a comprehensive special school package.

“Initially, the LDF government cancelled our decision to grant aided category to 33 special schools. Now they are delaying a decision on the package. The government should concede the protestors’ demand for a holistic policy for the special school staff, welfare scheme and pension, job security and above all aided category status to the schools,” he said.

Mr Biju Prabhakar had held several rounds of talks with the representatives of Association for Intellectually Disabled (AID), Special Olympics Bharat (SOB), Special School Employees Union (SSEU) Parivar and Association for the Welfare of Special School Staff (ASWAS). But since the sub-committee is yet to be convened, there has been no action. Special school teachers allege that the government is trying to promote BUD schools. Finance Minister T. M. Thomas Isaac had also announced R 40 crore as grant-in-aid to special schools which is yet to be implemented.

“The LDF government announced welfare schemes to madrasa teachers, but nothing for the special school teachers. From the middle of January, we will hold an indefinite fast before the secretariat,” said a special school teacher from Palakkad district.