Kannur: Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany of Thalassery has accused the government of neglecting minorities in crucial matters, particularly in the education sector.

Speaking at the inauguration of a Collectorate March organized by the Kerala Catholic Teachers’ Guild in collaboration with the dioceses of Thalassery, Kannur, and Kottayam, the Archbishop said qualified and deserving members of minority communities are being sidelined.

He criticized the government for withholding the Koshi Commission Report and accused it of portraying Christian aided school managements as if they were running charity institutions rather than recognized educational establishments. He highlighted that Christian school teachers have been denied reservations for differently-abled persons and have also been deprived of salaries for the past seven years due to this dispute.

Archbishop Pamplany also pointed out that despite the Supreme Court verdict in the Nair Service Society school case, which clarified the rights of aided school teachers, the government has failed to implement the ruling. He noted that the High Court had directed the government to make a decision on teachers’ salary arrears within four months, yet even after one and a half years, no action has been taken.

Appealing directly to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the Archbishop urged personal intervention to rectify what he termed a clear injustice. He assured that the Church leadership would continue to support the teachers’ struggle until their demands are met.

Raising concerns over the organization of government-led minority gatherings, he questioned the lack of transparency about who gets included or excluded, saying that clarity on this issue is still awaited.