Thiruvananthapuram, February 21 Kerala Minister V Sivankutty said on Saturday that the state was expediting steps to make regular appointments of special educators for children with disabilities and cautioned against "fake campaigns" on the issue.
In a statement, the state's Minister of General Education said the government was treating the matter with utmost seriousness, in line with a directive of the Supreme Court of India mandating all states and union territories to create such posts.
The court had stipulated that vacancies be notified on the websites of the education department and the government, as well as in leading newspapers, and that appointments follow qualifications prescribed by the Rehabilitation Council of India.
According to the judgment, a three-member screening committee must examine the qualifications of special educators working on contract or daily wages for nearly 20 years and consider age relaxation, if required, before regularising them in the appropriate pay scale, he said.
Accordingly, the government has constituted a three-member panel comprising the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, the Secretary of the General Education Department and an RCI representative.
Steps are underway to regularise eligible candidates among the 2,707 special educators currently working on contract under Samagra Shiksha Kerala, he added.
The government has also held discussions with the leadership of Kerala Resource Teachers Association (KRTA), an organisation of special educators, and submitted a favourable affidavit before the court seeking time to complete the process.
However, some sections were misinterpreting the affidavit and spreading misleading information, he said, calling it unfortunate.
The LDF government remains committed to protecting the interests of special educators, he added.
In line with Union Education Ministry norms, the state will ensure a teacher-student ratio of 10:1 at the elementary level and 15:1 at the middle and secondary levels.
The government is also considering a cluster system for schools to ensure more efficient deployment of special educators, Sivankutty said.