Thiruvananthapuram: A leader of the protesting Lower Primary School Teacher (LPST) rank holders has said that reducing the student-teacher ratio is the only way to facilitate appointments in government schools before the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) rank list expires.
Valarmathi, secretary of the Action Council and convenor of the protest committee, said on Tuesday that the government was already aware of the protesters' demands, with the agitation continuing for more than 114 days.
"The government now only needs to resolve the issue. The only solution for making appointments from the rank list is to reduce the student-teacher ratio. There is no other way for rank listers to be appointed," she said.
Valarmathi shaved her head on Monday and began an indefinite hunger strike outside the Secretariat, intensifying the protest over the delay in appointments.
She said there was no need for further discussions with the government, as two rounds of talks had already taken place. The protesters were now waiting for the government to issue appointment orders, she added.
Valarmathi said Education Minister N Samsudheen had previously called the protesters for discussions after she staged a 13-day hunger strike. During the meeting, the government had assured them that the issue would be resolved within 45 days, she said.
However, the government subsequently issued a circular permitting teacher appointments in aided schools, which the protesters say does not address their demand for appointments in government schools. Valarmathi also alleged that their demand to reduce the teacher-student ratio remained unresolved.
Questioning the government's claim of financial constraints, she said it should also examine what she described as its extravagant spending.
"Also, there are no financial constraints when it comes to cash-for-job appointments. Financial problems are cited when it comes to the general public's needs," she claimed.
Valarmathi also questioned why the government was not addressing the recruitment issue despite the prolonged agitation, recalling that the chief minister had spoken extensively about recruitment concerns when he was the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.
She said she had repeatedly tried to meet the chief minister but had been unable to do so, with the Assembly session and subsequent holidays cited as reasons for the delay.
"Their agenda was to make us sit here for so many days by saying one thing after another. Asking for more time can only be seen as a move to break the protest," she said.
The protesters are demanding immediate appointment orders for all eligible candidates on the LPST rank list for government schools before it expires. Their other demands include handing over aided-school teacher appointments to the Kerala PSC, ending alleged cash-for-job practices in recruitment and reducing the teacher-student ratio to 1:25.
Valarmathi has said the protest will continue until the demands are met. She said shaving her head was intended to register a strong protest against the government's approach.