Helped school principals mislead people, forum says

Officials from the Kerala Federation of the Blind have accused the Kerala Aided (Primary) School Managers Association of misleading people over a High Court order on bookings for disabled people in aided schools.

The three per cent reservation was compulsory for people with disabilities under the Disabled Persons (Equal Opportunity, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act 1995, effective 7 February 1996. Under the 2016 Act on the rights of people with disabilities, the quota was increased to 4% from 19 April 2017, with retroactive effect.

Federation President KJ Varghese said on Monday that the court had not overturned the suspension of the approval of appointments at subsidized schools. In an interim order of December 23, 2021, the court clarified that there would be no embargo on granting approval to appointments to positions that are not identified for people with disabilities. The stay order continues and the motion for writ filed by the Federation is pending in court, Varghese said. The previously mentioned order also stated that any approval would be subject to the outcome of the above written petition.

In an order dated September 6, 2021, the director of public instruction had sought to rescind all appointments in assisted schools made before July 15, 2021, before September 24. The court suspended this order after the Kerala Federation of the Blind filed a petition. alleging that the 4% quota for persons with disabilities had not been applied. It was KASMA officials who filed another motion opposing the stay order.