True to its secular credentials, more than 1 lakh students in Kerala have preferred not to fill the caste/religious column in school admission forms.
This figure was revealed by Education Minister C. Raveendranath on Wednesday in the Assembly. “As many as 1,24,147 students in the state have opted to leave their caste/religious column blank,'' the minister said. This figure covers students from first standard to 12th.
“This figure is proof to the secular texture of Kerala society,” he said.
According to officials in the education department, this figure only includes the students in government and aided schools. “We were aware of the fact. But, frankly, we did not expect this huge a figure,” said the official.
According to him, this figure would make Kerala rank at top with students of secular background.
“Nowhere else, except may be Tamil Nadu, one will get to see this kind of figure. This certainly reflects the secular bent of mind of Kerala parents,” the official said.
According to him, the education department had recorded similar figures a few years back. “But the number was nowhere near this one (the present figure),” he said.
The official said the government also plans to take details from private schools to get a larger understanding.
“But the fact Kerala has these many secular students in government/aided schools itself is a good trend as the state has a strong public education system,'' said the official. Last year, the number of students who got enrolment in government/aided schools had witnessed a steep increase.
The fact that political leaders, cutting across the political spectrum, had been championing the cause by not filling the religious column while seeking admission for their wards may also have helped, averred the official.
The decision of Congress MLA V.T. Balram and CPI(M) MP M.B. Rajesh to leave the religious column blank was widely discussed in various forums last year. Both had announced their decisions on their respective Facebook pages, garnering many likes.
“I have written 'no' in the column for religion and caste. I am proud of the fact,'' Rajesh had written on his Facebook page.
Similarly, Balram had said that he and his wife decided to leave the column blank as they did not want to impose any religion on their child. “When he is an adult, he is free to choose his religion,” the Congress MLA had said.
Responding to the new figures, Rajesh told THE WEEK, “It is a very heartening figure" in the current context. "That's so many people uphold the spirit of the Constitution in its true sense in Kerala is a great thing," he said.
Many who wrote on the FB pages of these leaders appreciating them had said that it's time for all to take a leaf out of these leaders' book.
Many have indeed, it seems.