Kerala church leaders petition Prez, PM on Education Bill

New Delhi, July 13: A delegation of leaders of the church from Kerala have sought Central intervention against the Kerala Professional Colleges and Institutions Act, 2006.

In separate representations to President APJ Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, union ministers AR Antulay, Arjun Singh and E Ahamed, besides the National Commission for Minorities Chairman Mohammad Hamid Ansari, they claimed the Act and its rules were violative of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

As per the Constitution and the law as interpreted by the Supreme Court, minorities had the right to establish and administer educational institution of their choice, they said.

The church leaders protested section 8 of the Kerala Act which linked recognition and minority status to the total number of minority professional college/institutions in the state and the community-wise strength of the students.

The delegation also claimed that the admission policy under the Act was discriminatory and that the fee structure announced by the Fee Regulatory committee was intended to ''annihilate the minority institutions''.

''It is understood that the Kerala government is seeking all assistance from the Central government to include the Act in the 9th schedule of the Constitution to avoid further challenges to the Act. If it is done, the Christian community legitimately fears that it will lead to total negation of rights conferred on the minorities by the Constitution,'' the delegation said.

The Bishop of Quilon Stanley Roman, the Bishop representative of Syro-Malabar Church Andrews Thazhath, Bishop Thomas Mar Athanasius of the Malankara Orthodox Church, Kuriakose Mar Severios of the Metropolitan Knyanaya Church, Interchurch Council for Education Secretary Philip Njaralakatt, Abraham Kakkanat of the Syro-Malankara Church, K G Joseph of the Mar Thoma Church, CBCI Deputy Secretary Thomas Aquinas and CBCI Spokesman Babu Joseph were part of the delegation which submitted a memorandum to the President and called on the Prime Minister and the ministers.

UNI