Thiruvananthapuram:  Although ‘gender equality’ has been included in the new curriculum, the government has not changed the rule that girl students must be present in the vocational schools to appoint tailoring teachers. Since the Kerala Education Rules (KER), in force since 1958, still maintains the provision that “only if there are at least 200 girls in the school can tailoring teachers be appointed,” PSC appointments in public schools have come to a standstill.

After appointing tailoring teachers, the school’s method is to provide training in crafts and related areas and give students the opportunity to engage in practical experience. Under the new curriculum, hands-on training has been incorporated as part of vocational education in 12 subjects including agriculture, plumbing, printing and stationery, waste management, textile arts, tourism, food industry, housing, handicrafts, electrical and electronics, media and entertainment. Currently, there are fewer than a thousand vocational teachers in Kerala.

Even though the curriculum and teaching methods have changed, schools still require 200 girls to appoint tailoring teachers. As many schools do not have enough girl students, PSC appointments are not taking place, leaving job aspirants stranded.

During the practical training period, training is provided to both boys and girls without discrimination. To resolve the issue, there is a demand to amend the rule in Kerala Education Rules (KER) by changing it to “200 students” instead of “200 girls.”