Communists in Kerala implement separate uniform for SC/STs

In a bizarre incident, a Kerala government school has stirred up a controversy by asking 85 primary school students belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) to wear uniform of different colour, solely made for the under–privileged.

The accused, Moolankavu Government School at Sultan Battery in Wayanad district introduced two different uniforms for its students few months ago. While the SC/ST students wear blue checked shirts, the other children wear maroon checked uniforms.

Denying discrimination, school headmistress Sosamma Mathew reacted, "Every year the Noolpuzha village council supplies free uniform sets to the SC/ST children and it was done by them this academic year too. But the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) that met just before the school reopened decided to change the blue colour of the uniform and opted for the new maroon coloured clothing. By that time the village council had already supplied the blue colour uniform to the SC/ST students," quoted news agencies.

Wayanad district in Kerala has the state's highest concentration of people of the ST community — 37.36 per cent. "This has come to my notice only now and we will take immediate steps and action against this anomaly," state education minister MA Baby says.
The issue is yet to be addressed though one term of the academic year is over.

Meanwhile, All India Christian Council expressing sadness over the decision said, “It is a shameful decision to provide separate uniforms for students of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe origin in Kerala. A similar attempt was made in Maharashtra when the Shiv Sena was in power. Civil society activists stood against the measure and forced the government to take back its decision.”

“Therefore it is very important for civil society to force the authorities in Kerala to take back the discriminating policy.”