The All India Save Education Committee has demanded the United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala to institute an investigation into the “collapse” of the State’s education system during the last decade. It called for appointing a high-level academic expert committee to study the alleged decline in educational standards and implement corrective measures.

Memorandums, signed by the AISEC State leadership including president George Joseph and general secretary E.N. Santhi Raj, were submitted to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, General Education Minister M. Samsudheen and Higher Education Minister Roji M. John. The organisation accused the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of dismantling the foundational pillars of the ‘Kerala Model’ of education by aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Issues raised

Among the key issues raised was the purported decline in foundational literacy; the AISEC observes that despite a 100% success rate in SSLC examinations, the number of students possessing basic language and mathematical skills has steeply declined. Besides, a significant number of government and aided schools across Kerala faces the threat of closure.

The organisation also highlights alleged human rights violations in higher education institutions, particularly self-financing colleges, as they cited the purported suicide of BDS student Nithin Raj R.L. as an example of a deteriorated campus environment. Besides, the “abrupt” replacement of conventional BA, BSc and BCom courses with the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUGP) has been “damaging” for the higher education sector, it has alleged.

Under such circumstances, the AISEC has presented a 15-point charter of demands to the new administration, including a time-bound study on the educational decline, the need to revise the Malayalam curriculum to ensure proper alphabet learning, strengthen mathematics teaching, rollback of the FYUGP to restore the traditional three-year courses, termination of the MoU signed by the previous government for the PM-SHRI project, and the rejection of the Khader Committee report that recommended a comprehensive overhaul in the general education sector.

The memorandum also calls for formally rejecting NEP 2020, pressurising the Centre to “decentralise” entrance examinations including NEET-UG, undertaking annual education surveys prior to the State Budget, and to prevent corruption in teacher appointments to private institutions.