Kerala to regulate preschools: New law to standardise nursery operations soon
The state government is preparing legislation to bring preschools, including nurseries, under a formal regulatory framework. This move comes in the backdrop of a High Court directive urging action against unauthorised schools. Officials said the General Education, and Women and Child Welfare Departments are jointly drafting the rules. Special legislation is being planned to integrate preschools into the mainstream public education system from the next academic year.
Currently, there are 57 government-run preschools and around 2,100 schools operating as part of the government system. Beyond these, numerous private and aided preschools function without any standard curriculum or operational guidelines. Teacher appointments lack regulation, fees are often high, and 827 unrecognised schools have been identified, including preschools.
Key provisions of the Law:
- Mandatory registration for preschools
- Licensing for operation
- Public syllabus for teaching
- Prescribed building standards
- Teacher qualification criteria
- Special committee for oversight
- Fee regulation system
Govt defies HC’s salary order
Despite the High Court’s previous order to implement salary revisions, the government has not complied. The court had directed a salary of ₹27,500 for teachers and ₹15,500 for assistants, but the government only increased pay by ₹1,000 ahead of local body elections. Currently, teachers receive ₹13,500 and assistants ₹8,500. There are currently 2,851 teachers and 1,965 assistants.
The Primary Teachers Association general secretary M Hemalatha accused the government of bypassing the court order as it has filed an appeal.