On Tuesday, December 13, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader and former MLA Abdurahiman Randathani stoked controversy after he said that mixed seating in schools, gender-neutral uniforms, and several other educational reforms would promote “masturbation and homosexuality” among students.
Randathani spoke at a United Democratic Front (UDF) protest event in Kannur on Tuesday, criticising the Left government’s proposed education reforms in Kerala, which included mixed seating plans in classrooms and gender-neutral uniforms.
According to the leader of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a Congress ally, “the government was encouraging homosexuality and pervert acts like masturbation in the name of sexual education.”
The government claims that making a boy and a girl to sit together will bring revolutionary changes in the field of education,” he said. “However, in the name of sex education, children are being taught about homosexuality and masturbation, then what will happen to our faith and culture.”
As the outrage sparked, the IUML leader justified his controversial remarks by saying that he intended to critique the curriculum framework’s erroneous notions saying that the ‘flawed curriculum reforms’ were against the ‘culture’ of Kerala. “The Kudumbashree volunteers’ handbook contains references to masturbation and homosexuality.” “We are warning against the decline of moral values in society,” he was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.
On Monday, IUML MLA N Samsudheen said in the state assembly that the new education policy would create ‘gender confusion’ and lead to ‘sexual anarchy’.
“The education policy seeks to promote gender equality in addition to rational thought.” That cannot be permitted at the expense of the state. It will lead to the negation of religion. Therefore, it has to be omitted from the education policy,” IUML MLA said.
“What we need is equal opportunities, not gender equality.” Gender-neutral viewpoints will lead to sexual anarchy, which cannot be tolerated in education. “They (the government) are attempting to create gender confusion among children and the general public,” Samsudheen added.
Notably, after protests by several Islamic organisations over the issue calling the reforms an attack on Islam, the Kerala government decided to take a U-turn. Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty on Monday confirmed that there are no plans to change school hours at this time. The state education minister also stated that there are no plans to implement gender-neutral uniforms in all schools.
“The school curriculum revision committee made some suggestions, but the government has yet to make a decision on them,” he said, adding, “School management and parent-teacher associations can make decisions on uniforms.” The government has no plans to impose any reforms.”
