Kerala State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights on Friday ordered that schools exclusively for boys and girls should cease to exist from the 2023-24 academic year. All these schools, the Commission said, should be converted into co-ed or mixed schools.

The Child Rights Commission also asked the General Education Department principal secretary, Director of General Education and SCERT director to draw up an action plan to implement the order. The three top officials have also been asked to improve the infrastructure, including toilets, in schools that would be converted to co-ed schools and also to create an awareness among parents on the importance of mixed schooling.

The Commission's order is based on a petition filed by Dr Isaac Paul of Anchal in Kollam district. The petitioner had argued that gender justice was denied in exclusive schools.

The Commission found merit in the petitioner's argument. “It is curious that exclusive schools for boys and girls are still functioning in Kerala,” the order, issued by Commission member Reny Antony, said. “There is no need to teach boys and girls in separate schools in the existing social context. Moreover, the existence of such schools can only be seen as a turning away from advanced education and psychological theories. There is no justification for such schools to exist,” the order said.

“The government should not hesitate to put an end to such an unscientific practice,” the order added.

The General Education principal secretary is said to have told the Commission that ending exclusive schools was government policy. However, the official said that such a transformation would be possible only after taking the Parent-Teacher Association into confidence and assessing the material condition of the schools.

General education minister V Sivankutty had also said that it was the government's policy to convert exclusive schools into co-ed institutions. On July 4, he told the Assembly that 11 exclusive schools were converted into co-ed schools after the second Pinarayi ministry came to power. He said that more schools would be converted if more school authorities, PTAs and local bodies came forward with similar demands.

The Commission, too, has underlined the need to change the mindset of parents. “Parents who are under the impression that giving admission to boys would destroy the discipline of schools and hamper the freedom of girls should be scientifically told about the benefits of mixed education. School authorities and PTAs should take the initiative for this,” the Commission said in its order.

The order said that international studies on co-ed schools had demonstrated that such schools would instil mutual respect and ensure gender equality. “Studying in these schools will also help in removing orthodox ideas and encourage boys to respect the opposite gender,” the order said. It added that the best educational institutions in the word were co-ed.

As per official figures, there are 280 'girls only' schools in the government and aided sectors in Kerala. The number of 'boys only' schools is 164.