PwD quota in school postings: Kerala govt hits out against aided managements

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has hit out at a section of aided school managements that accused it of delaying approval of staff appointments citing implementation of a Supreme Court order on reservation for Persons with Disabilities (PwD). In a strongly worded statement, General Education Minister V Sivankutty urged the aided managements not to mislead the public on approval of appointments. The minister said the situation has arisen as aided managements have under-reported the vacancies earmarked for staff in the PwD category and warned of stern action against them. The government is implementing the Supreme Court order on PwD reservation. When the matter came up before court, the managements did not become party to the case nor express their views, Sivankutty said. In the place of over 5,000 vacancies for PwDs, only 1,500 have been reported. The government can only approve the appointment of PwD candidates by managements from the lists provided by various employment exchanges, Sivankutty said. The General Education Department will conduct an inquiry into the actual number of vacancies and the numbers recommended by the management.