Girls and Boys Can’t Share a Bench: Kerala Education Minister

A student was suspended for questioning his college’s decision of not letting female and male students sit together.

Kerala Education Minister PK Abdu Rabb, (Photo Courtesy: The News Minute)

In the wake of protests against Kozhikode’s Farook College management, for suspending a student who questioned the college’s decision of not letting female and male students sit together, Muslim League leader and Kerala Education Minister PK Abdu Rabb, on Tuesday, said that he is against the practice of boys and girls sitting next to each other.

It is not a fair practice. For studying, it is not necessary that boys and girls should share benches. Boys can sit close to girls if they are sitting on separate chairs.

<b>PK Abdu Rabb, Kerala Education Minister </b>

He said that he would not encourage this practice in Kerala.

Rabb also added that he did not receive any official complaint from Farook College management on the students who protested.

I came to know about the issue in Farook College through newspapers and I have not received any official complaints.

Dinu V, a first-year postgraduate student of Farooq College has been suspended indefinitely, for questioning the college over its policy of segregating female and male students.

On October 20, Dinu and eight other students were asked to leave the class and warned not to enter the campus till they brought their parents, as the boys and girls had shared benches during their Malayalam language class.

Later, when all others except Dinu gave an apology letter to the management, they were reinstated, but Dinu continued to fight against gender discrimination.

Though Kerala High Court has stayed Dinu’s suspension for one month, the college authorities have not yet taken any measures to reinstate him.