Kerala’s New Education Minister: Talking to V Sivankutty
“BJP Slayer”, “Fascism Slayer”, “Nemom’s Hero” (Nayakan) — these are some of the names by which Malayalis have been addressing senior CPI (M) leader and Kerala’s new Education-Labour minister V. Sivankutty in the last few months. Ever since he was declared as the Left Democratic Front (LDF) alliance’s candidate at the Nemom Assembly Constituency of Thiruvananthapuram, which used to be the lone seat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala, Sivankutty has been at the centre of all attention, including of the national media. Following a heated triangular fight in April, with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) fielding their “strong men”, LDF’s Sivankutty emerged victorious with a margin of close to 4000 votes. A rather prestigious victory for the LDF and for all secular-minded Malayalis across the world, Sivankutty was soon hailed by social media as the person who made Kerala “BJP-free” as he had “closed” its sole “account” in the state.
A household name in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, this is 66-year-old Sivankutty’s third time in Kerala’s Legislative Assembly, but first time as a minister. Sivankutty’s political career began with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) when he was at Thiruvananthapuram’s SN College, following which he rose up to positions like its State President, State Secretary, District President, District Secretary, and All India Joint Secretary. From SFI, he moved to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and continues to be at the centre of workers’ struggles in Thiruvananthapuram, who fondly refer to him as “Annan” (brother). Sivankutty’s initiation into electoral politics took place when he won as the Panchayat President of Ulloor, a region that had traditionally voted for the UDF up until his victory. He then went on to become the Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and is currently CITU’s State Secretary and a State Committee Member of CPI(M). Today, as Indian school education continues to reel under the pressure of COVID-19, Kerala seems to be the only state that has offered an alternative to how digital-online learning too can be made democratic up to an extent. Under the last LDF Government, Kerala’s Education Department had implemented some landmark decisions regarding school education, like streaming lectures digitally on television. Sivankutty has declared that in the new term, this method will be taken ahead with certain new steps. The Student Struggle spoke to him briefly about the immediate concerns of the Department.
Student Struggle: COVID-19 has gripped the entire world in absolute chaos and catastrophe. In such a trying situation, what must Kerala’s Education Department involve itself in immediately?
V Sivankutty: Well, in our collective opinion, what the Department must immediately ensure is that every student in the state has access to school education, overcoming inequality of all kinds. Moreover, our curricula have to be transformed in a way that equips the most underprivileged of our students to compete and succeed in the rather competitive arena national and international examinations. Basic infrastructure has to be improved, and our public schools, many of which have already undergone transformation thanks to the last government, have to be brought up to better standards. Vocational training is another area that requires our immediate attention and improvement.
Student Struggle: Digital education has been observed to have given rise to large scale inequality in terms of access, due to the digital divide that exists in most places in the country. Though Kerala has been the only Indian state that has been able to make it as democratic as possible, it too faces problems in accessibility among some sections of society. How has the Department decided to counter this?
V Sivankutty: Digital divide is a reality and a very serious problem. However, we believe that it can be overcome by democratic engagement upto a great extent. By this we mean the active participation of local self governments, progressive movements, youth and students’ organisations, alumni groups etc. This is what the last government initiated and this time around too, it will be ensured that such a method will take place even more intensely.
Student Struggle: Its been recognised that regressive ideas like communalism, casteism, patriarchy etc have influenced the student community too in a great deal, even in Kerala. What can the Department do to fight these tendencies in them from a young age?
V Sivankutty: Kerala is currently moving forward by altering its school curricula with respect to changing times and with a progressive framework in mind. In fact, it was Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself who stated that constitutional values will be included in our public school curricula very soon. This was announced by him in the press conference that took place following the formation of the new government last month.
Student Struggle: You have been an office bearer of the Students’ Federation of India’s at state and national levels. It was under your leadership that Kerala witnessed many important student protests. How has your past in SFI influenced or helped your life beyond it?
V Sivankutty: Well, it was the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) that shaped my political personality and outlook. The organisation provided me with the courage and ideological clarity to fight inequality and discrimination from a young age. As the Minister for Education today, my past experiences with SFI, among other things, will certainly aid me in understanding and engaging with the needs of students who come from the most marginalised of backgrounds in the state.
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