Thiruvananthapuram, June 5 (IANS) Kerala’s Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday termed the UDF government’s decision to dismiss tribal mentor teachers as a ‘grave injustice’ and demanded that they be reinstated immediately, saying the move would adversely affect the education of tribal students.

Vijayan said the mentor teacher programme was introduced by the LDF government to prevent school dropouts among tribal children and provide them with academic support.

As many as 308 mentor teachers working in Wayanad, Palakkad and Malappuram districts have lost their jobs following the state government’s decision not to continue their services in the current academic year.

The teachers were appointed under the Gothra Bandhu scheme with a monthly remuneration of Rs 21,900 to support students from Classes 1 to 4.

Tribal youth with qualifications, including TTC and B.Ed, were selected for the posts.

According to Vijayan, orders for terminating their services were issued by Integrated Tribal Development Projects (ITDP) Project Officers following instructions from the Director of the Scheduled Tribe Department.

The teachers were unable to report for duty when schools reopened.

The former Chief Minister said the appointment of tribal mentor teachers was one of the most significant initiatives of the first LDF government in 2016 and Kerala was the first state in the country to introduce such a dedicated educational support system for tribal students.

“The programme enabled teachers from tribal communities to communicate with students in their own language, helping improve learning outcomes, and significantly reducing dropout rates,” Vijayan added.

The initiative also provided employment opportunities and helped improve the social and economic conditions of tribal families.

The majority of the dismissed teachers belong to vulnerable tribal communities.

Vijayan said that many of them continued their responsibilities even during April and May by supporting school activities and helping bring tribal children back to classrooms.

He added that 241 teachers, who had completed nine years of service in Wayanad, 50 in Palakkad and 17 in Malappuram, have now lost their livelihood.

“The dismissed teachers are on protest, and the state government should consider their genuine demands and take immediate steps to restore their jobs,” Vijayan said.

–IANS

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