Closure threat to Palatt upper primary school

KOZHIKODE: The threat of school closures is spreading like an epidemic.  Soon after the  Malapparamba school incident,   another school in the city,  the Palatt upper primary school, has been ordered to be closed by the education department.     However, the members of the school protection committee prevented  Assistant Education Officer K.S. Kusumam, who came to the school  along with  police escort on Monday,  from collecting the  school documents and key as per an order by the High Court.

The school that started  functioning at Thiruvannur  in 1958 has been facing closure threat  after the previous management of the school handed over the charge to a Malappuram-based businessman, Mohammed Ashraf, ten years back. 

Kozhikode corporation Meenchanda ward councillor and  chairman of the school protection committee, Nambidi Narayanan, said, “at  the beginning of every academic year, the school manager has been threatening the parents  saying the school will be closed down soon.”

About six years back, the Kozhikode corporation expressed its willingness  to acquire it.  The present owner of the school purchased it from the previous management with a promise that it will not be used for any purpose other than  educational, he added.

“The school manager wants to demolish the school and has made several attempts for it but postponed the demolition  after public protest,”  said  school teacher V.V. Thankamani.   At present there are 17 students and four teachers there. After the RTE Act came, the state government has no control over aided schools. Many schools are being closed  by the managers using this loophole, she added.

According to the AEO,   the  High Court  had ordered to  implement its direction  based on the case filed by the school manager. “The attempt of the education department has been blocked by the people’s representatives and local people  like in the case of the Malapparamba school. The happenings here will be reported to the higher authorities,”  she said.