Latest news with #KeralaEducationAct
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Can't demand equivalency certificates for UGC-approved courses, says Kerala HC
Kochi: High court has observed that requiring equivalency certificates from state universities for courses approved by UGC and offered by central universities would mark the end of the education system. Justice D K Singh was considering a petition by S Harisankar of Malappuram, challenging the decision of LBS Centre for Science and Technology — the agency responsible for conducting the State Eligibility Test (SET) for promotion to the post of higher secondary school teacher. Although the petitioner had passed the SET, the LBS Centre declined to issue his certificate of qualification, citing his failure to produce an equivalency certificate for his master's degree obtained from IGNOU . LBS Centre counsel and govt pleader argued that, in view of the special rules framed under the Kerala Education Act, 1958, an equivalency certificate is mandatory. They also referred to the SET prospectus, which contains a similar clause. However, the single bench observed that IGNOU is a central university of national importance established by the central govt to offer distance education and regular courses. It is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and its courses are UGC-approved. HC held that no insistence on equivalency certificates can be made in respect of degrees obtained from national institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Science (IISc), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) or other institutions recognized by the UGC. Accordingly, the court directed the LBS Centre to issue the SET qualification certificate for July 2021 to the petitioner.
The Hindu
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Permission of govt. required before alienating property of aided schools: HC
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court has observed that before the property of an aided school is alienated, permission shall be obtained from the State government or any officer authorised by it in this regard. The Bench made the observation while allowing an appeal by some teachers of a lower primary school in Manjeri against a single judge's order quashing the government order declining approval of a teacher nominated as manager by the person who purchased the school. The government had rejected approval on the ground that the owner of the property could only be made manager and a third party could not be appointed as the manager. The appellant contended that as owner N. Sidrathul Munthaha had not obtained any previous permission before obtaining title, the entire transaction is void under section 6(3) of the Kerala Education Act. The Bench observed that before an aided school's property is alienated, it is the mandate of the law that permission shall be obtained from the government or any officer authorised by the government in this regard, and such permission cannot be obtained merely by invoking Rule 5A of Chapter III of the Kerala Education Rules (KER), which is only a procedural rule enabling the recording of a change in ownership. The objective behind Section 6 of the Act is to ensure that the property belonging to an aided school is not alienated indiscriminately, jeopardizing the future of the students. The Bench also directed the government to reconsider the matter afresh under Section 6 of the Act as well as under Rule 5A of Chapter III of the KER.
