- Applications invited for Civil Services Preliminary Examination, 2002
- Special Arrangements for mailing X-Mas, New Year Greetings
- Indian School Parents Unanimous about Fees Reduction
- P.C.Thomas, other politicians interfere in Indian School issue
- No Change in Examination Schedule
P.C.Thomas, other politicians interfere in Indian School issue
keralamonitor correspondent New Delhi: Considerable political pressure is being exerted on the Indian Ambassador in Muscat K.M.Meena by school promoter so that the Patron of Indian Schools give up his much Indian school reform agenda and allow private promoters to make quick bucks from Indian schools in Oman. It is reliably learnt that Mr.George Mathew, the private promoter of the proposed school in Seeb has been shuttling between New Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram and Muscat to influence Indian politicians from both the ruling coalition and opposition to sabotage the Indian Ambassador's plan to rationalise fees structure in favour of large number of ordinary parents and encourage community schools, which are much cheaper than the private schools.
P.C.Thomas, Member of Parliament from Kerala. Champion of the poor in covert alliance with NRI business lobyy? It is learned that P.C.Thomas, Member of Parliament from Kerala has been trying to interfere in the independent functioning of Indian Embassy in Muscat by using his political clout in Thiruvananthapuram and New Delhi to favour private school promoter and prevent the Indian Ambassador from reducing the high school fees. In a handwritten letter addressed to the Indian Ambassador in Muscat, P.C.Thomas MP has 'demanded' that the proposed school in Seeb should be given to Mr.George Mathew. Even though the private promoter has fixed the highest fees among various Indian community schools, the people's representative from Kerala is trying becoming and extra constitutional power influencing Ambassador's working in foreign countries. Despite the fact that rent and other cost of school operation will be much lesser in the Hail-Seeb area than the Muscat region, the agreement between the private promoter and the former Indian Ambassador fixed the fees at 10 per cent higher than the Indian School Muscat fees. Nobody knows why P C Thomas is taking too much interest in the Indian School matter.
Son of popular leader P.T.Chacko, Thomas is a politician who has been said to be a champion of the poor farmers in Kerala.He has been projecting himself as working for the well-being of agricultural workers and farmers in and securing better deal for their produce. Thomas has worked in the Kerala State Advisory Board for Legal Aid to the Poor during 991-96 and fought for the cause of farmers continuously. The Kerala media have been projecting him as a champion of the poor farmers and working for the upliftment of the farmers growing rubber, cardamom, coconut, pepper, ginger, pine-apple etc. In this case, does he feel that all the Non Resident Keralites in Oman are super rich and can pay through their nose the high fees proposed by the private individual. Out of more than 10 lakh voters of Moovattupuzha, majority of whom elected him during last election only less than 5 per cent of the electroate voted for V.V.Augustine, the BJP candidate from his consitituency. Now the champion of the poor and anti-BJP politician is reportedly crossing the floor and joining hands with the BJP. The manner in which he is sending dictats to the Indian Ambassador in Muscat shows that he has started acting like a part of the NDA Government
. K.M.Meena, Indian Ambassador, Muscat at the receiving end? Champion of the common man's cause under pressure from Indian Politicians? It may be recalled that the same Thomas.was aggressively arguing that the airfare from Muscat to Indian destinations is the highest and that the Government of India should reduce it substantially to help the ordinary Gulf passengers?. Does anyone remember the statistics quoted at that time --80 per cent of Indians in Oman earn less than RO 200 per month etc.etc. So how come the Member of Parliament is taking side with private businessman at the cost of ordinary parents of Indian Schools in Oman? Including Thomas, three influencial people have already approached the Indian Ambassador requesting a reversal of the school reforms.
The personal Secretary of the Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh has also written a special note suggesting that due consideration should be given to George Mathew's private school. Apparently the private promoter has appealed to the Foreign Minister through the Kerala politician that despite an agreement signed with the Indian Embassy in March 2001, the new Indian Ambassador is not giving him any intimation about the new school. According to sources, a special committee constituted by the former Indian Ambassador to decide whether the proposed school should be a private or community school held only two meetings and ended up without taking any final decision. Some committee members raised the issue that the proposed promoter has got only a license to conduct auditing business. 'In case the private promoter has to go back to India for any reason, who will be responsible for running the school," asked one member.With the support of Kerala politicians the private school promoter is lobbying strongly to see to it that the new school in Seeb becomes another private school through which ordinary parents can be looted. P.C.Thomas, who has been reportedly planning to cross the floors and join the BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government in New Delhi has been hobnobbing the idea of becoming an Central Cabinet Minister for long. Even before he formally joined the NDA -- ditching thousands of voters who elected him on a different political agenda -he has already started using his clout with the Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh to reverse the Indian Ambassador's decision to revoke a biased agreement signed between the Indian Embassy (during the previous Ambassador's regime) and the private promoter George Mathew.
The private promoter is also playing his religious cards very well by using religious leaders to influence the Indian Ambassador's decision. Even though many parents of the private Indian schools are suffering from the high fees and non fees charges, their religious leaders are lobbying for setting up another private school in Oman.
Thanks to the strong lobbying in New Delhi, the Indian External Affairs Ministry has already asked some questions about the functioning of Indian schools, especially the new private school proposed in Al Hail-Seeb Area. The private promoter is also trying his level best to influence public opinion and the media through signature campaigns.
The new private school promoter has informed the patron that he has already made financial commitment to start the school. Even though the Indian Ambassador asked him to produce documentary evidence, he has not produced the same. Similarly the promoter claims that he has already selected teachers and rented out a building. But why did he do things in a hurry when the Ministry of Education was not giving the final approval till recently?
