The move comes amid recent court rulings and protests by auxiliary school administrations. While most teachers will receive full service benefits from the date of their appointment, 442 cases before the Supreme Court will remain pending. (representational image)
The Kerala government on Wednesday announced regularization of nearly 20,000 teachers working in aided schools, subject to the final outcome of the cases pending before the Supreme Court.
Addressing a press conference here, Public Education Minister Sivankoti said the move aims to resolve the long-pending legal complexities related to implementation of reservation for differently-abled persons and approval of teacher appointments in aided schools in the state.
Polling season sensitivity
The important announcement came weeks after he said in the state assembly that the LDF government is doing everything legally possible to ensure that the recent Supreme Court order on appointments of general category teachers in NSS schools is applicable to all managements of aided schools.
The Left government’s current decision has taken on political significance in the poll-bound state of Kerala, where the issue has recently sparked protests by various managements of aided schools, including Christian organisations, who have accused the government of obstructing appointments in the general category on the pretext of implementing the court’s directions.
Describe the disability share
Sivankutty said the issue relates to the implementation of four per cent reservation for persons with disabilities in aided schools, as provided under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2017. Earlier, three per cent reservation was provided under the 1996 Act.
Sivankutty said the delay in implementing the quota in subsidized schools led to legal disputes.
A single bench of the Supreme Court had ordered reservation to be implemented retrospectively from 1996, which the government said would adversely affect thousands of existing teachers. He said the state then filed an appeal.
He said that after the division ruling, teachers appointed after 2021 were reportedly reduced to daily wage status.
Impact of NSS status
However, in a case filed by Nair Service Society (NSS), a prominent community organisation, the Supreme Court allowed approval of general category appointments, except for posts reserved for differently-abled candidates.
The state has filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court seeking to extend the benefit given to NSS schools to managements of other aided schools with similar status, the minister said. But he said the case had been postponed to April.
Transfer of conditional organization
He said that based on fresh legal advice from a senior lawyer representing the state, the government has decided to issue orders to regularize teachers working under other departments as well, subject to the final outcome of the special leave applications pending before the Supreme Court.
However, he said the regularization of the 442 teachers who had individually approached the Supreme Court challenging the state’s earlier regularization proposal would remain pending until a final ruling, adding that action without the court’s approval could amount to contempt.
Service benefits are guaranteed
“The benefit of this decision will extend to about 20,000 teachers in aided schools across the state. They will be given all the benefits of service from the date of their appointment,” Sivankutty said.
He also directed the relevant authorities to complete the approval proposals within two weeks.
Departments strive to achieve equality
Following the Supreme Court order obtained by the NSS, other departments have requested similar relief. The Supreme Court had earlier directed the state to complete appointments to the posts reserved for differently abled candidates in a time-bound manner.
Posted on February 18, 2026
