Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Kerala Education Minister CK Raveendranath over irregularities in the SSLC Maths exam which led to the exam being cancelled.
Chennithala was speaking at a press meet in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
He also alleged that KSTA (Kerala School Teachers Association) - a CPM affiliated teachers’ organization - was now controlling the education department and the education minister had no role in it. Normally, it’s the SCERT (State Council for Educational Research and Training) which is preparing the questions for the exam but this time the questions were prepared by teachers affiliated to KSPA.
“One teacher whose name is Vasu was heading the 5-member team to prepare the Maths exam question paper. He is also a KSPA man. But instead of suspending Vasu, the govt has suspended another teacher named Sujith,” said Chennithala.
The govt has announced a judicial probe in Saseendran case but before that, the govt should have initiated a probe into the exam irregularities issue, he said.
Some of the teachers affiliated to KSPA are running private tuitions in this. Those who are interested in imparting tuitions should resign from the government and focus on that, he said, while implying that teachers involved in giving private lessons had a direct role in preparing the question papers.
The exam conducted on March 20 has been cancelled, and a re-exam will be held on March 30.
Chennithala said that the government should examine the availability of teachers to conduct the exam on that day since examinations of classes 8 and 9 are also being held on the same day.
Munnar encroachment
Referring to the rampant construction of buildings in Munnar, Chennithala said that the government should set up a Munnar Development Authority (MDA) as a solution to the issues pertaining to the hilly region.
It is not the UDF that sabotaged the attempt to resolve the issue, but the CPM itself, he claimed and said that there is a big difference of opinion between CPI and CPM over this issue because CPI is an ally of CPM in the Left Democratic Front government.
The mission of the VS Achuthanandan government to remove the illegal constructions of Munnar was a failure since the HC announced to give compensation for some of the demolished buildings, he added.
Meanwhile, KPCC president MM Hassan on Sunday said that menstruation is impure and women should not enter places of worship when they are menstruating. Chennithala, however, refused to comment on this as he said he is not aware of what exactly Hassan said.