AEO and DEO in school education in the state give way to SEO.

The current management system for government and aided schools in Kerala is all set to change once the integration of the primary, secondary and higher secondary education sectors is completed in the next few years.

This follows the recommendations of MA Khader Committee on reform of school education. The draft special regulations prepared by a core committee of experts for the merger state that the Office of School Education (SEO) will replace the offices of Assistant Education Officer (AEO) and District Education Officer (DEO). The offices of seven regional deputy directors and an equal number of assistant directors will also be eliminated.

At the state level, there would be four deputy directors of general education under the director of general education. At the district level, there will be a joint head of general education supported by a School Education Officer, an Assistant School Education Officer and a Panchayat School Education Officer.

Currently, classes I to VII (primary sections) are covered by AEO. However, if the primary classes are part of a school that also has a secondary education section and a higher secondary education section, they are under the jurisdiction of his DEO. Also, only primary schools (classes I to IV) and primary schools (classes V to VII) are under the jurisdiction of grama panchayats. If the primary classes are part of a school that also has a secondary section and a higher secondary section, they come under the jurisdiction of the district panchayat.

The panel of experts points out that this complex structure is hindering schools' ability to properly monitor academic performance and system monitoring. All the students of the entry level section of the grama panchayat are not collectively considered while planning for academic improvement or carrying out various projects.

There is also a disparity in the number of schools under the jurisdiction of AEOs and DEOs. There are a total of 163 AEO offices and 41 DEO offices. The number of schools under AEO is 31 in Kojuvanar and Kottayam, while there are 138 schools under AEO in Mannarkad and Palakkad.

The Kader Committee has proposed forming SEOs within municipal limits and blocking panchayats. The Core Committee points out that even on that scale, the placement of schools is unequal.

Parurthi block in Ernakulam has 25 schools, while Manjeswaram block has 152 schools.

Ernakulam's Maradu city has only seven schools, while Kannur's Thalassery city has 63 schools. According to the new recommendations, SEO companies will have roughly the same number of schools under their jurisdiction. Instead of 204 AEO and DEO offices, there will be 220 SEOs across the district.