Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 24: Senior leader, Pawan Khajuria today called on Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi and apprised him of the ground realities in the region.
Pawan Khajuria told the Minister that there is a wide disparity in the quality of education between rural and urban areas, as well as between plains and hilly regions of Jammu & Kashmir. Despite the implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP), its positive impact is not visible at the grassroots level. Since a large part of the region comprises hilly areas, schools there lack modern educational facilities. Due to the growing population, many schools have a high number of students but face an acute shortage of teachers. In particular, there is a severe lack of lecturers and professors at the high school and college level, adversely affecting students’ education.
He further pointed out that in 2011, several schools were upgraded from middle to high school and from high school to higher secondary level, but the required appointments of teachers and lecturers were not made accordingly. Although 61 schools were upgraded on papers, they have not yet received full recognition, leaving them in a state of uncertainty and putting students’ futures at risk.
Pawan Khajuria also highlighted the backwardness in technical education as a major concern. In today’s digital era, many schools in Jammu & Kashmir lack both digital infrastructure and trained teachers. He suggested that teachers should be provided regular training, digital education should be promoted, and equal educational facilities should be ensured in both rural and urban areas.
He also drew attention to poor infrastructure, noting that many schools do not have adequate classrooms, libraries, or laboratories. He demanded the opening of Kendriya Vidyalaya branches in areas such as Majalta and Khoon for the children of Army, BSF, and Air Force personnel stationed in Udhampur district, so that both the children of serving personnel and local residents can access quality education.
He stated that while enrolment is increasing, the dropout rate at the secondary level exceeds 25 percent, and thousands of teaching posts remain vacant. PawanKhajuria urged the Union Minister to take these issues seriously and make concrete decisions in the interest of students in Jammu & Kashmir.
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