Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government plans to hold a referendum to control the teachers’ unions, a move aimed at streamlining the sector as part of the school consolidation policy.

The step follows a key recommendation in the Khader Committee Report on public education reforms. A meeting of teachers’ unions convened last month on the matter ended without progress, prompting the government to call another meeting on August 18.

The government also intends to bring all teachers under the Kerala Education Act (KER). At present, some work under the Kerala Government Servants Conduct Rules.

There are currently 42 teachers’ unions across government and aided schools, with recognition granted by the Department of General Education Secretary. Officials argue that the high number of unions is harmful to the state’s public education system.

Under the proposed plan, only unions representing all categories of teachers will be recognised, while category-based organisations will be excluded. The government maintains that a referendum is the only fair method to assess membership strength, citing a Kerala High Court ruling in support.

The Khader Committee recommendations

  • If a few teachers come together and form an organisation, the method of granting recognition should be changed.
  • Organisations with small memberships view the problems as narrow.
  • The recognition of organisations should be made through a referendum. The referendum should be repeated once every 5 to 6 years.
  • Those who teach classes from pre-primary to Year 12 should be included in the single definition of ‘teachers’.
  • Only organisations with the support of 18 per cent of teachers should be granted recognition.