Minority schools bound by KER: court

Kochi: A Full Bench of the Kerala High Court on Friday held that even minority schools were bound to follow the provisions in the Kerala Education Rule (KER) relating to appointment of headmasters of U.P. schools.

The Bench of Justice K. Balakrishnan Nair, Justice P.N. Ravindran and Justice S.S. Satheesachandran Nair held that only in the absence of a graduate teacher with required qualifications, could a teacher with SSLC and TTC be appointed as a headmaster of an upper primary school, even if it was a minority institution as per the rules exiting prior to January25, 2008.

The Bench, however, clarified that as per the 2008 amendment brought to Rule 45, the manager of a minority school had the right to appoint an under-graduate as headmaster of an aided upper primary school, even if there was a senior graduate teacher.

The amendment had deleted the provision relating to graduation for appointment as headmaster in an upper primary school, it said.