Kerala Boys Only School Turns Co-Ed, Welcomes First Batch Of Girl Students

A boys only government school in Kerala on Thursday turned co-ed when they welcomed their first batch of girl students. According to the official statement, the first batch of girl students have been inducted in class 11 of the Government Model Higher Secondary School for Boys in Chala, Thiruvananthapuram. The students also wore gender-neutral uniforms, a day after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the Left dispensation was not going to decide on children’s school uniforms.

Admission of girls is a historic moment, Minister for Transport Antony Raju has said. He was speaking at the inauguration of the school’s first batch of girls after it was declared a co-educational institution. Thirteen girl students who took Plus One admission were welcomed to the school by the students. The girls then planted a sapling each.

Kerala Boys Only School Turns Co-Ed

The move to make the school, which was meant only for boys for the last 40 years, a mixed or co-educational one has been welcomed by students of both sexes. Some of the new joinees told media that they joined the school as they wanted to study along with boys.

“Not in favour of how gender is being construed or taught in society presently. We are supposed to be studying together. So I came here to study like that,” one of the girls said as per the statement.

The boys too welcomed the move as they gave a standing ovation to the first batch of girls as they walked in through the school gates. The boys said they would support the decision of their new school mates.

Principal Felicia Chandrasekharan, told The New Indian Express that with the induction of girl students, the boys would have the added responsibility to be more disciplined.

“We are expecting more girl students to join the school in the coming days as supplementary allotment, school transfers and combination changes are pending,” Felicia said. At present, the school as 140 Plus One students, which include the 12 girls. In Plus Two, there are 250 boys.

The first batch of girl students at the Chala Government Higher Secondary School in the city receives a warm welcome on Thursday. | Image from ANI

The first batch of girl students at the Chala Government Higher Secondary School in the city receives a warm welcome on Thursday | Image from ANI

Meanwhile, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MLA MK Muneer, a known critic of the Left government's gender neutral policy, criticised the move by saying that the society and the CPI(M) have not gained the maturity to accept it.

Speaking to reporters at Kozhikode, Muneer said that gender discrimination should be removed, then there should be gender sensitisation and gender justice. "Only after that can we bring such a concept (of gender neutrality) before a society which lacks maturity. Even the Marxist party is not mature enough for it," he alleged.

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