Remove caste names from all private, govt schools

CHENNAI: Removal of caste appellations from names of government and private schools and the enactment of a special legislation for social inclusion are among the key recommendations made by the one-man committee headed by retired judge K Chandru in his 610-page report on how violence on the basis of caste and creed can be prevented among school and college students in the state.

The panel was formed last August after a Class 9 boy and his sister, belonging to a Scheduled Caste community, were hacked by schoolmates belonging to an intermediate caste.

Justice Chandru submitted his report to Chief Minister MK Stalin at the secretariat on Tuesday. The government will study the report and is likely to announce an action plan to implement the short-term recommendations soon.

The report said caste appellations such as ‘Kallar’ Reclamation and ‘Adi Dravidar’ Welfare should be dropped from school names and they should be referred to as government schools. It said the state ’s policy decision to bring all types of government-run schools under the umbrella of the school education department should be implemented immediately.

The panel recommended periodic transfer of high school and higher secondary school teachers and said the government should prescribe a code of conduct for teachers and staff of schools, colleges, and universities run by the state.

“An expert body or an agency can be appointed to investigate allegations of saffronisation of education and activities that infiltrate educational institutions, hampering caste and communal harmony,” the report said.