On September 28, 2024, VMFT hosted a significant public meeting in Trivandrum, Kerala, to unveil an
important report on education inequality in the state. The report, titled “Separate and Unequal?
Language, Curriculum and Management in Kerala’s School Education System,” presents a
comprehensive analysis of the growing divide within the state’s education system, drawing on multiple
data sources. Dr. Heidi Layne, a researcher from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland, released the
report and delivered a keynote address, sharing insights on Finland’s focus on education quality and
teacher professionalisation. The VMFT report also carries a section on Finland’s acclaimed education
model.
The report’s findings paint a stark picture of Kerala’s education landscape. Once celebrated for its
common curriculum and publicly funded school system that guaranteed universal enrollment, Kerala’s
school system has undergone rapid transformation in just over a generation. Private unaided schools,
offering different curricula, including the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), have proliferated across the state, while the majority of government and aided schools still follow the State Board curriculum. This shift has created a multi-tiered system where quality education is differentiated by type of school, curriculum and language of instruction and access to this depends on the socio-economic status of students.