Days after the Catholic Church stepped up criticism of the Keralam Education department over teacher appointments, General Education Minister N. Samsudheen on Monday (October 5, 2026) reached out to Changanassery Archbishop Thomas Tharayil, holding a half-hour meeting at the archdiocese headquarters to defuse the row.
The meeting came amid concerns among minority educational managements over a proposal submitted by the Director of General Education to the Advocate General on teacher appointments in aided schools, including those under the quota for persons with disabilities.
The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) had publicly opposed the proposal and sought its reconsideration, alleging that some recommendations could impinge on the constitutional rights of minority educational institutions.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr. Samsudheen said the Church had raised several issues and assured that they would be examined. “There were several issues that we needed to discuss with each other. Some issues were pointed out, and we will take whatever steps are possible to address them,” he said.
Long-running dispute
Acknowledging the Church’s contribution to the State’s education sector, the Minister said he wanted to move ahead by taking its concerns into consideration. On the long-running dispute over disability-quota appointments, Mr. Samsudheen said the government’s intervention was aimed at resolving the crisis.
“There has been a crisis over teacher appointments related to persons with disabilities for the past several years. If there are any shortcomings in the measures taken, they will be pointed out and addressed,” he said.
Archbishop Tharayil, meanwhile, said the Church had flagged concerns over certain orders issued by the General Education department, particularly their lack of clarity. “We pointed out a few issues concerning the general education sector. The Minister has assured us that he would address them with an open mind,” he said.
According to the archbishop, some orders were open to different interpretations, raising concerns that they could create difficulties for aided school managements. “The Minister assured us that all these issues would be addressed,” he said.
‘Grave concern’
In a statement last week, the KCBC said the department’s proposal had caused “grave concern” among minority managements. It said that while the power to appoint personnel in minority educational institutions rested with the manager, the proposal required general appointments, apart from disability-quota appointments, to follow directives of a district committee.
The council argued that the immediate need was to resolve the crisis over disability-quota appointments and alleged that using the issue as a pretext to intervene in general appointments was unacceptable. It sought the participation of minority management representatives in further discussions and a fresh proposal for submission to the Advocate General.
The Minister’s outreach also echoes an earlier intervention by then Education Minister V. Sivankutty, who had visited the Changanassery archdiocese headquarters in November last year during a similar dispute over disability-quota appointments.
Published - October 05, 2026 06:28 pm IST