T.N. government decision to merge schools
Why in news :
- A major announcement in Tamil Nadu’s budget for 2023-24 was that the schools run by different departments for so long to cater to specific needs will be merged with the School Education (SE) department.
What are these schools?
- While the government is yet to spell out finer details, the budget announcement indicated that the schools run by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare (ADTW), Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes, and Denotified Communities Welfare (BCW), Welfare of the Differently-abled Persons (WPD), Forest, and Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) departments will be merged.
- These departments run 1,834 schools with roughly 1.6 lakh students on their rolls.
- The ADTW department alone accounts for 80% of these schools (1,466) and students (1.26 lakh).
- Most of these schools are created for backward classes, Piramalai Kallar community, who faced marginalisation due to the draconian Criminal Tribes Act brought by the British.
Why are they being merged?
- The budget mentioned that the schools will be merged to “achieve the goal of social justice,” “improve the quality of schools” and to ensure “quality education for all”.
- The relatively poor quality of these schools, especially those run by ADTW and BCW departments, have long been a concern.
- Their infrastructure is below par and a lot of teaching posts are vacant.
More about Piramalai Kallar community :
- Piramalai Kallarsis a sub caste of the Kallarsand thus are part of the Mukkulathor community that also includes the Maravar and Agamudayar
- They belong to Most backward class/Denotified class in Tamil nadu.
- Copper plate inscriptions dated 1645, 1652, 1655 and 1656 are the most important artefacts about the Piramalai Kallars.
- According to these, during the period of Thirumalai Nayak, members of the community were appointed as guards (“kavalkarars”) of villages.
- The Piramalai Kallar group responsible for a village had to compensate for any theft in that village.
- Piramalai Kallar local chieftains, such as Tirumal Pinna Thevar, also performed judicial duties by organising panchayats. This is described in the 1655 inscription.
- With a separate system of judiciary and policing, they refused to accede to British rule.
- In 1767, around 5000 Kallars were killed by British forces near Melurin a single day when they refused to pay tax.
- With the introduction of British rule and the fall of the Nayak dynasty, the Piramalai Kallars began to lose their work as guards.
- They participated in the South Indian Rebellion of 1800-1801 that resulted in Madurai and the adjoining regions coming under the British rule.
- When the rebellious Kallars refused to pay tax, the British abolished the kavalkarar system.
- Piramalai Kallars were reduced to poverty, reliant on land farming, while continuing to oppose the British.
- They became classified as a criminal tribe under the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA).
Syllabus : Prelims + Mains; GS II – Education
