Kerala Govt Warns Schools Against Curtailing Christmas Celebrations, Says Educational Institutions Cannot Become Communal Laboratories

Thiruvananthapuram: Strongly condemning reports that some private school managements imposed restrictions on Christmas celebrations and refunded money collected from students for the event, Kerala government on Sunday warned that schools would not be allowed to be turned into "communal laboratories."

While the CPI(M) mouthpiece "Deshabhimani" published a news report alleging some Sangh Parivar-run schools and a private Hindu management administered school stopped Christmas celebrations, both the RSS and the management of that institution denied the allegation.

Such actions are unheard of in a state like Kerala, which has a high level of democratic consciousness and a long-standing secular tradition, the state government said, adding an "urgent inquiry" has been ordered.

"No one will be permitted to introduce the north Indian models that divide people on the basis of religion or belief in Kerala's educational institutions," state General Education Minister V Sivankutty told reporters here.

He said schools are spaces where children learn and grow together, cutting across caste and religion, and any attempt to sow divisive ideas among students is unacceptable.

Festivals such as Onam, Christmas and Eid have traditionally been celebrated together in the state schools, helping children learn mutual respect, love and coexistence, he said.

The decision of certain private school managements to cancel celebrations after collecting money and then refunding them was "cruel" and amounts to hurting children.

All schools, whether aided or unaided, are bound by the Constitution of India, education rules and laws of the country, and have a responsibility to uphold values of secularism, Sivankutty further said.

Warning of strict action against such practices, the minister said schools would not be allowed to function as spaces to serve narrow political or communal interests.

"Imposing restrictions selectively on the celebrations of any one community amounts to discrimination and will not be tolerated," he said.

Sivankutty also reaffirmed that any move that undermines the dignity and tradition of Kerala's public education sector would not be allowed.

The General Education minister held the press conference after the CPI(M) mouthpiece "Deshabhimani" published a news report saying that some Sangh Parivar-run schools in the state, and a separate Hindu management school here, stopped Christmas celebrations.

When contacted, an RSS functionary said that, as per his knowledge, no such decision has been taken.

"There is no possibility of taking such a decision. We are not against any sort of cultural celebrations," he told PTI.

Meanwhile, the authorities of the Hindu management school, mentioned in the news report, also clarified that there is no ban on Christmas celebrations in their institution.

"But a restriction is imposed on cutting cakes as part of the celebration in view of concerns of any possible food poisoning. But Christmas celebrations will be held as such," the management said.

Minister Sivankutty, during his press conference, further said instructions have been given to officials to conduct an urgent inquiry into the matter and submit a report.

The minister also said complaints have been received from students and parents regarding the conduct of compulsory special classes in some schools during the upcoming Christmas vacation. Such classes should not be conducted during holidays, he said.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and auto-generated from an agency feed.)