The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1957-11-15


can take over any private school
it judges to be mismanaged.
The provision of the bill be-
ing enforced by the communist
administrators order takes away
the financial control of private
schools from their managers, in
Guiding the right to disburse
teachers salaries. 1t gives that
right to headmasterS who are to
act as government agents. Kerala
Minister of Education Joseph
Mundaserry has ordered head
masters to prepare teachers pay
rolls and draw the money to
meet them from local state treas
ury offices.
In Kerala the administrative
heads of schools are called man.
ayers. Up to the present head
masters have had authority only
in strictly academic matters.
Under this system the manager
of a Catholic school is at times
the only representative of Church
authorities. Because the govern
ment must approve the hiring
and firing of teachers, who are
paid by the state, and because
strict seniority rules govern
teacher promotion, teachers and
~headmasters in Catholic schools
are often Hindus or other non
Catholics.
In such cases the Church can
maintain control Of its schools
solely through their managers
parish priests in psrochiaI
schools, priests appointed by
the bishops in diocesan schools
and members Of religious COM
mvnities in schools run by the
various congregations. In spite
Of The restrictions on their A.
thorify resulting from laws gov
ernins the appointment and
dismissal Of teachers, II is the
managers who determine school
policy.
Because they control policy,
managers have been the special
targets of the Reds since they
won control of the state govern
ment earlier this year. The COM
munists apparently believe that
so long as managers have the
power to supervise teachers, the
schools cannot successfully be
turned into centerS of Red indoc-
trination. This belief explains the
communist effort to white down
the authority of managers or re-
move it altogether by replacing
them as the official disbursers of
government funds paid to teach
erS.
The Kerala Managers Associa-
ton has condemned the new rul-
ing and urged headmasters to re-
fuse to cooperate with the gov
eminent in carrying it out. The
association said that managers
will close down their schools if
the decree is not withdrawn. 1t
also protested against a/reported
government plan to have police
officers visit private schools and
obtain from teachers and stu
dents written documents backing
the education bill.
Meanwhile, according to re-
ports from New Delhi, the GEN.
trail. government still has doubts
as to the constitutionality of the
bill.
The Home Ministry, which
will advise President P.ssad
whether or not to sign The bill,
has been told by the Education
Ministry that . number Of the
bills provisions are illegal.
The Education Ministry deeIar.
ed in . note that these pro-
visions violate the article Of
the indian Constitution which
states that "aII minorities,
whether based on religion or
language. shall have their
choice"
In discussing the central gov
ernment's doubts regarding the
Kerala school bill, the Times of
India, the nations leading daily,
noted that the constitution also
declares:
"The state shall. not, in grant
ing aid to educational institu-
tons, discriminate against any
educational institution on the
ground that it is under the man.
agement of a minority, whether
based on religion or language"
II has been reported that the