Department of Public Instruction hit by space-time' conundrum

Thiruvananthapuam: Many eyebrows are being raised on the order issued by the DPI identifying areas where there are no UP and LP schools. The order identifying 62 localities was issued on May 11 about five days before the assembly elections. The haste in issuing the order just before the elections has been questioned in many quarters.

Though a school mapping was conducted to identify localities without schools within one kilometre, following the instructions of the Union Human Resources Ministry as per the clause in the Right to Education Act, many areas included in the list have LP schools. Moreover the order is silent on whether the new schools in the areas identified will be government, aided or unaided.

The areas were divided in four categories. The first category comprised areas without schools having classes from Class I to IV. This category has 38 schools.  The second category was areas without schools having classes from I to V. This category has 12 schools.

The third category was areas without schools having class V. This category has 11 schools. The last category was areas with schools but without classes VI to VIII. This category has just one school. The allegation was that areas like Valayanchirangara, Kadayiruppu and Akanad which have been included in Ernakulam district which have already Government schools in them.

Education Minister C Raveendranath told Deccan Chronicle that the problem was with the unscientific methodology followed in the school mapping. The plan of the Government was to put in place more scientific mapping techniques for such studies in the future, Mr Raveendranath said.

Former Education Minister P. K. Abdu Rabb said that the schools were granted as per proper mapping. If there were any anomalies in identifying the areas, the officials who had done the mapping would be responsible and they would have to face the consequences, Mr Rabb said.