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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Protests rage against Zumba, Kerala govt doubles down: ‘Keep religion away from education'
Amid growing protests against the Kerala government's decision to introduce the fitness dance form Zumba in schools, the state's Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led government has said it would not budge. The government had announced introducing Zumba in schools earlier this year. The decision has triggered protests from religious outfits such as SAMSATHA, which has a high stake in religious education in Kerala and outside the state. The outfits claim that the move would adversely affect morality. On Saturday, the protests swelled after more organisations came out against it. CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby told media in Kozhikode that organisations had the right to make comments on issues including in the education sector, 'religion should be kept away from education'. 'Children should grow mingling with one another. Those who oppose should rethink their stand. In a secular country, religion should be kept away from public education. They can comment on issues, but they should not dictate terms on education,' he said. Meanwhile, the government too doubled down, calling the protest 'more dangerous than the drug menace' and that it was 'more dangerous than the drug menace'. 'Certain quarters have come out against Zumba, which is being introduced in schools as part of anti-drug initiatives,' Education minister and CPI(M) leader V Sivankutty said. 'What is being held in schools is a short physical fitness programme. Students are performing Zumba in their uniforms.' He further said: 'According to the Right to Education (Act), it is mandatory for all students to take part in learning activities suggested by the government. Parents have no choice in it. According to the rules, the teachers have the responsibility to undertake activities per orders of the education department. Nobody has asked the students to wear revealing dresses and participate in Zumba'. The minister also shared videos of students of two schools in Muslim-majority areas performing Zumba in uniform wearing headscarves. Higher education minister Dr R Bindu also shared a video of college students — including Catholic nuns — dancing to music at a college in Irinjalakuda in Thrissur. The protest against Zumba will take Kerala to the dark ages, he said. This came on a day when Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen state president Hussain Madavoor once again made his objections known. 'Girls and boys dancing in revealing dresses will adversely affect their mental status. Even if they are performing Zumba in school uniform, we cannot agree that girls and boys dance together,' he said. Likewise, Wisdom Islamic Organisation general secretary T K Ashraf said children are not being sent to school 'perform mixed dance'. 'There may be people who see Zumba dancing as progressive (but) it is highly deplorable to depict those who oppose Zumba as extremists and retrogressive,' he said. This isn't the first time that there were protests against some of the CPI (M)-led government's gender-neutral policies. The government's attempt introducing gender neutral uniforms in schools and plans to do away with separate benches for girls and boys in schools also met a brick wall. Meanwhile, CPI(M) general secretary M. A Baby was accused of promoting atheism in school textbooks when he was the education minister from 2006 to 2011 and was forced to withdraw one textbook. The Zumba row is another litmus test for the CPI(M) regime, which, after its disastrous showing in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, has been leaving no chance to attack 'Islamic extremism'.
India Gazette
3 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Such objections will inject poison more deadly than drugs": Kerala Minister defends Zumba in schools
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], June 28 (ANI): Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty on Saturday strongly defended the inclusion of Zumba dance in schools, stating that raising objections to such activities would inject poison that is more deadly than drugs into society. Responding to the criticism, Minister Sivankutty said, 'No one has asked children to wear minimal clothes. Children are wearing school uniforms and performing this.' 'Engaging in sports will help in developing mental and physical vitality, health and positive thinking in children. This will have a positive impact on their studies and personality development. Therefore, it is essential to encourage such healthy activities,' the minister stated. He added that Zumba and other physical activities played a crucial role in developing children's mental and physical health, and encouraged positive thinking and personality development. The Minister also referred to the Right to Education (RTE) Act, saying, 'According to RTE, children must participate in the learning processes prescribed by the government. Parents have no choice in the matter,' he clarified. On the role of educators, he stressed that teachers were bound by the directives of the education department. 'According to the conduct rules, the teacher is obliged to do what the department prescribes,' Sivankutty said. He further warned that communalising such issues would disrupt Kerala's long-standing tradition of social harmony. 'In a society like Kerala, where people live together in harmony, such stances will only encourage the majority communalism,' he added. His remarks came after the state Education Department recently planned to teach Zumba in all schools as part of efforts to drive students away from drug abuse and violence, and to improve their physical and mental fitness. Last year, ahead of the start of the current academic year, the Education Department provided training to teachers as part of their annual refresher programmes. Earlier in the day, Muslim groups in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram raised strong objections after the state education department introduced Zumba dance in schools, stating that they couldn't accept girls and boys intermingling, dancing together, or wearing minimal clothing. The move, as part of its anti-drug campaign, aimed at helping students manage stress through physical activity, drew criticism for allegedly promoting indecent intermingling of boys and girls. The backlash began after TK Ashraf, a teacher and General Secretary of the Wisdom Islamic Organisation, posted on Facebook that he and his son would not participate in the programme. 'Cannot accept this, and my son and I will not participate in this,' Ashraf wrote in a brief but direct statement opposing the initiative. Soon after, Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama leader Nassar Faizy Koodathai also posted, calling the Zumba sessions inappropriate and a violation of students' rights. (ANI)
New Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Kerala Minister calls 'Bharat Mata' portrait 'religious image', slams Governor for violating Constitution
KOZHIKODE: Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Saturday strongly criticised Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar for displaying Bharat Mata portrait during official functions at Raj Bhavan and labelled the act a "blatant violation" of constitutional norms. The minister also termed the portrait, depicting a woman holding a saffron flag, as a "religious image". "A person holding a constitutional post worshipping such an image during official events is "tantamount to subverting the basic principles of the Constitution", he said at a press conference here. Sivankutty's statement comes against the backdrop of intense war of words and street protests in Kerala over the Raj Bhavan's decision to display the Bharat Mata portrait at functions there.
News18
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Row Over Introduction Of Zumba In Kerala Schools, Muslim Body Says 'Don't Force Vulgarity'
Last Updated: Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty defended the move, saying "Let the children play, laugh, have fun, and grow up healthy." After Kerala education department introduced Zumba in schools as part of its anti-drug campaign, some Muslim outfits have objected the decision. The move is facing backlash as some religious groups objected to girls and boys 'intermingling" and 'dancing together wearing minimal clothes". From this academic year, many schools in the state have begun offering training in Zumba – a fitness program that involves cardio and Latin-inspired dance. According to a report in India Today, the general secretary of the Wisdom Islamic Organisation, TK Ashraf, expressed his disapproval of the program in a Facebook post, saying, 'Cannot accept this, and my son will not participate in this" The India Today reported that Nasar Faizy Koodathai, a leader of the prominent Muslim organisation in Kerala 'Samastha', described the move as a violation of personal liberty and an imposition of vulgarity in the name of physical fitness. 'The Kerala government has implemented Zumba dance in schools. Zumba is a method of dancing together while wearing minimal clothes. If the government has instructed even older children to do this, it is objectionable," India Today quoted Koodathai as saying. 'Instead of improving the existing physical training, do not force vulgarity. This is also a violation of the personal freedom and fundamental rights of students whose moral sense does not allow them to express their anger and dance together," the Muslim outfit leader further said. 'Let the children play, laugh, have fun, and grow up healthy," Sivankutty said. The visuals were from Thanbeehul Islam Higher Secondary School in Kasaragod district. Earlier, the state education department said the Zumba classes were voluntary, adding that they were introduced with a goal to assist students cope with academic pressure and discourage drug abuse. First Published:
India Gazette
a day ago
- India Gazette
Kerala: 3 migrant workers dead after building collapses in Thrissur; minister orders inquiry
ANI 27 Jun 2025, 12:40 GMT+10 Thrissur (Kerala) [India], June 27 (ANI): Kerala's Minister of Public Education and Employment V Sivankutty has directed the Labour Commissioner to conduct a detailed investigation and submit a report after three migrant workers from West Bengal died on Friday due to a building collapse near Kodakara area in Thrissur district. According to officials, the building housed 17 people at the time of the incident, and the deceased have been identified as Rubal, Rahul and Alim. Fire officials are engaged in rescue efforts along with locals helping to take out the bodies from the debris. Notably, two bodies have been recovered, and efforts are underway to recover the third one. Further details regarding the incident are awaited as investigation in underway (ANI)
