Kerala cabinet to issue NOCs to applicants

Kerala cabinet has decided to issue NOCs to all applicants who intend to launch in central board schools – CBSE and ICSE.

Briefing the  cabinet decisions, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, stated that the applications filed after complying with all requirements concerning infrastructure facilities will be given NOCs. While Chandy said that no school should miss the bus simply due to lack of NOC, he maintained that there will not be any compromise on infrastructure facilities.

The state government's NOC is a prerequisite before school management applies for CBSE or ICSE affiliations. During the regime of erstwhile CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), applicants were not given NOCs as a policy matter. And now, in the backdrop of the current decision, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has invited the wrath of the opposition youth wings who say that the decision will further weaken the government schools and government aided private schools.

The fact, however, remains that people cutting across financial status opt for central board schools. People believe that central board schools give more knowledge based and English oriented education. Moreover, it is too early to forget the steps taken by the LDF government to weaken the central board schools. They had made provisions to curtail the school's independence from the state governments. They had even tried to increase the electricity charges of the central board schools.

While the state government tried to assume the power to increase the salaries of teachers arbitrarily, it would have, at the same time, authority to ask the management to give free education to children it suggests. So the gesture of the UDF government is a windfall for school managements and the supporters of  central board schools.