Sivankutty Demands Rollback of Order Including Ministers' Staff in Interview Panels

Senior CPI(M) leader and former Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Sunday accused the state government of compromising the integrity of aided higher secondary school teacher recruitment by including personal staff members of ministers in interview selection committees.

Addressing a press conference, Sivankutty described the decision as unprecedented, alleging it could open the door to political interference, favouritism and financial corruption in appointments.

According to him, the revised government order issued on July 16 specifically allows ministers' personal staff to serve as government representatives on interview panels, replacing the established practice of nominating senior civil servants.

Sivankutty alleged that the move would weaken the transparency and impartiality of the recruitment process and facilitate backdoor appointments for individuals with political connections or party affiliations.

Questioning the rationale behind the decision, he asked why politically appointed personal staff were being entrusted with evaluating the qualifications and competence of teacher candidates during interviews.

He further argued that the General Education Rules require officers of at least the rank of Deputy Collector or Deputy Secretary to be part of such panels. Instead, he claimed, eight officials attached to the offices of seven ministers had been included.

The former minister named officials from the offices of the Ministers for Backward Classes Welfare, Public Works, Excise, Forest, Fisheries and Social Justice, Tourism, and General Education, alleging they had been assigned roles in the interview committees despite their political appointments.

Sivankutty contended that these members could influence administrative decisions and appointment procedures, creating opportunities for irregular recruitment practices and misuse of authority.

He also warned that replacing experienced civil servants with politically connected personnel could invite legal challenges, potentially delaying appointments and creating uncertainty for aspiring teachers.

Calling the decision "a festival of corruption," Sivankutty urged the government to immediately withdraw the July 16 order and restore professionally constituted interview panels, maintaining that the credibility of Kerala's aided school recruitment system depended on an independent and transparent selection process free from political influence.