After demands came in from the Parent Teacher Association of the Government Model Higher Secondary School for Boys, Chalai in Kerala, that the school should be converted into a co-educational institution, the General Education Department has decided to convert the school.
For the conversion of the school into a co-educational institution, a representation was given by the PTA of the school to General Education Minister V Sivankutty. While informing about the decision, the minister stated that on the basis of demand from the concerned stakeholders, the government is keen on turning schools that were set up exclusively for boys or girls into co-educational institutions.
"There should be a united demand from school authorities, PTA and the local body concerned. This will help create the right environment for education based on gender justice," Sivankutty said.
The school principal, Felicia Chandrashekaran, stated that a meeting of PTA was held in March this year by the school authorities. During the meeting, the decision of converting the school into a co-educational institution was proposed.
"The PTA meeting, in which the local ward councillor was also present, unanimously decided to convert the school into a co-educational institution. The minutes of the meeting and a representation were submitted to the General Education Minister," the principal said.
Combining all three sections of the school — Upper Primary, High School and Higher Secondary — the school has a strength of 320 students. From the upcoming academic year, the admission for all three sections would be open to girls.
"The school turning co-educational would go a big way in gender sensitisation, which is the need of the hour. When the school authorities mooted the proposal and explained its benefits, all the parents were in full support," said a PTA representative.
Previously, the introduction of unisex uniforms in schools was strongly supported by the Left Democratic Front (LDF). The LDF had urged many institutions in order to reproduce the model for creating a gender-inclusive learning environment.
