Kerala tribal mentor teachers axed: Pinarayi demands reinstatement of 308 educators
Synopsis
Kerala's Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan is calling out the UDF government for axing 308 tribal mentor teachers — many with nine years of service — who were the backbone of a first-of-its-kind programme that kept tribal children in school. With the academic year already open and teachers on protest, the clock is ticking on a potential dropout crisis in Wayanad, Palakkad, and Malappuram.
Key Takeaways
308 tribal mentor teachers have been dismissed across Wayanad , Palakkad , and Malappuram districts after the UDF government declined to continue their services this academic year.
Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan called the dismissals a 'grave injustice' and demanded immediate reinstatement on 5 June .
The teachers were appointed under the Gothra Bandhu scheme at a monthly pay of ₹21,900 to support tribal students in Classes 1 to 4 .
241 of the dismissed teachers had completed nine years of service in Wayanad; 50 in Palakkad; 17 in Malappuram.
The programme, launched by the LDF government in 2016 , was the first of its kind in India for tribal students.
Dismissed teachers are currently on protest; the UDF government has not yet publicly responded.
Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday, 5 June condemned the UDF government's decision to dismiss 308 tribal mentor teachers across Wayanad, Palakkad, and Malappuram districts, calling it a 'grave injustice' and demanding their immediate reinstatement. Vijayan warned that the move would severely harm the education of tribal students who depend on these teachers for academic support.
What the Gothra Bandhu Scheme Was
The dismissed teachers were appointed under the Gothra Bandhu scheme, which was introduced by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in 2016 to prevent school dropouts among tribal children and provide dedicated academic support for students from Classes 1 to 4. Each teacher received a monthly remuneration of ₹21,900. Vijayan noted that Kerala was the first state in the country to establish such a dedicated educational support system for tribal students.
The programme specifically recruited tribal youth holding qualifications such as TTC and B.Ed, enabling teachers to communicate with students in their own languages — a factor credited with improving learning outcomes and significantly reducing dropout rates.
How the Terminations Came About
According to Vijayan, termination orders were issued by Integrated Tribal Development Projects (ITDP) Project Officers acting on instructions from the Director of the Scheduled Tribe Department. The teachers were unable to report for duty when schools reopened for the current academic year. Notably, many of them had continued supporting school activities and helping bring tribal children back to classrooms even through April and May, without formal employment.
Scale of Job Losses
Of the 308 teachers who have lost their livelihoods, 241 had completed nine years of service in Wayanad, 50 in Palakkad, and 17 in Malappuram. The majority belong to vulnerable tribal communities, and their dismissal also strips away an employment channel that had helped improve the social and economic conditions of tribal families in these districts.
Opposition Demand and Protest
'The dismissed teachers are on protest, and the state government should consider their genuine demands and take immediate steps to restore their jobs,' Vijayan said. He described the Gothra Bandhu initiative as one of the most significant achievements of the first LDF government and argued that dismantling it would reverse years of progress in tribal education. The UDF government has not yet issued a public response to the reinstatement demand.
With the academic year already underway, the absence of these mentor teachers leaves hundreds of tribal students in three districts without the mother-tongue-based support that had been central to keeping them in school.
Point of View
Regardless of their outcomes. A programme that measurably reduced tribal dropout rates and provided employment to vulnerable communities should be evaluated on evidence, not political lineage. The silence from the UDF government on reinstatement is telling — and the students left without mother-tongue support mid-year will bear the cost of that silence longest.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why were the 308 tribal mentor teachers in Kerala dismissed?
The teachers lost their jobs after the UDF government decided not to continue their services in the current academic year. Termination orders were issued by ITDP Project Officers on instructions from the Director of the Scheduled Tribe Department.
What is the Gothra Bandhu scheme?
The Gothra Bandhu scheme was introduced by the LDF government in 2016 to prevent school dropouts among tribal children in Kerala. It appointed tribal youth with TTC or B.Ed qualifications as mentor teachers, paying them ₹21,900 per month to support students from Classes 1 to 4 in their own languages.
Which districts are affected by the tribal teacher dismissals?
The dismissals affect 308 teachers across three districts — 241 in Wayanad, 50 in Palakkad, and 17 in Malappuram. All had been working under the Gothra Bandhu scheme.
What has Pinarayi Vijayan demanded?
Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan has demanded the immediate reinstatement of all 308 dismissed teachers, calling the government's decision a 'grave injustice' that will adversely affect tribal students' education.
What happens to tribal students now that the teachers are gone?
With the academic year already underway, tribal students in Wayanad, Palakkad, and Malappuram have lost access to mother-tongue-based academic support that was credited with improving learning outcomes and reducing dropout rates. Critics warn this could reverse years of progress in tribal education.
