VS alleges large-scale graft

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan has alleged large-scale corruption in issuing NOCs to unaided CBSE and ICSE schools.In a statement here on Wednesday, Achuthanandan equated  issuing of NOCs to ICSE and CBSE schools to the advertisements of telephone companies on providing connections within no time of remitting money.The UDF Government was allotting schools to all organisations in all places where they have received applications. The only condition is that they should have a building and land for the purpose, he said.Of the 12,642 schools in the state, 863 schools are in the unaided sector. Statistics had shown that no other state had even half the number of unaided schools when compared to Kerala.Of the unaided schools,  322 were allowed during the tenure of the last UDF Government. Majority of other unaided schools was started during the time of the UDF Government of 1982-87.Achuthanandan alleged that the schools were part of the secret agenda to destroy public sector and Malayalam medium schools. The UDF Government, which sabotaged the  decision of the previous LDF Government to make learning of Malayalam compulsory in schools, was now trying to destroy all Malayalam medium schools during its five-year tenure, he said.The NOCs have been issued to ICSE and CBSE schools at a time when corporate sector giants from outside the state were issuing advertisements seeking land to establish schools in various states, he said.