HC orders issue of notices fo secretaries

The Madras High Court bench here today ordered issue of notices to secretaries of Higher Education and Social Welfare Departments, on a PIL seeking to constitute a commission for monitoring and ensuring an effective implementation of value education in schools and colleges and set up counselling centres.
A bench comprising Justice M Jaichandran and Justice R Mahadevan directed the officials to reply to the notice within four weeks.
The petitioner S Rajendran, a social scientist said the educational institutes focussed more on academic excellence and employment, relegating the importance of value education.
Educational institutions should inculcate the core values of love for motehrland, performance of duty, compassion, tolerance for pluralism and respect for women. Only such value education would transform society, he contended.

There was utter negligence or cynicism at all levels with regard to value education, he maintained and suggested constitution of a commission for social transformation with the responsibility of establishing counselling centres to provide value educaiton.
He said invasion of western culture had worsened the situation in the country.