KERALA REDS

REFUSE TO BACK DOWN
THE Communist Government of Kerala. India. have refused to alter their decision that teachers in private secondary achools are to be paid directly by headmasters. instead of by school managers.
The aseociation of Catholic school managers had described the Government order as a "negation" of their rights, and have threatened to close their schools— more than half the schools in the State—unless the order is withdrawn before the end of November The Minister of Education, Mr. Mundasserry. stated that the order would be reconsidered only if all teachers presented a unanimous request for such action Meanwhile. the bishops of Kerala have issued a joint statement calling on the Government to withdraw its "offensive" textbooks. They asked parents to be ready to suffer sacrifices to protect children from the harmful effects of these.
Attacking the Government's. establishment of a monopoly in the preparation of textbooks. they said the books it had prepared tended to create contempt for morality, were foreign to the ancient culture and spirit of India. and paved the way for leading the country to totalitarianism by undermining democracy Mr. Sukumaran Aeheekode, a leading Kerala Hindu, denounced the textbooks as the first instalment re "the famous Communist technique of brain-washing". The attack on he textbooks was not merely a Catholic affair. While many Hindus felt the same as Catholics. their lack of organisation and guidance had made them less vocal.