Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, June 5: More than 350 Government schools in Jammu district are likely to be closed down as the School Education Department has set the process on to rationalize teaching staff and avoid `un-necessary’ expenditure on rented accommodations.
After effecting merger of a few schools in the Winter capital and its outskirts on the same ground, the Department has almost prepared the data of Government schools with more teachers but negligible roll of students as well as the schools being run from rented accommodations, official sources informed the Excelsior.
The data is being forwarded to the higher authorities and a formal decision on fate of these schools is likely to be taken very soon as a high level meeting in this regard has been scheduled in next two-three days, sources added.
As per the official data, there are around 250 schools in Jammu where the roll of students is almost negligible in comparison to the total strength of teachers posted there while 115 Government schools are being run from rented accommodations.
It may be recalled that the Education Minister Naeem Akhtar had already made it clear that rationalization of teaching staff would be done on priority for streamlining the Education Department in the State and in the process, nearby schools could be clubbed or merged.
In this connection, then Director School Education had recently clubbed Primary School Maheshpura, PS Shalamar, PS B C Road and PS Khoo Talab with the Government Middle School B C Road while all the teachers, posted in the merged schools, were shifted to other institutions.
Similarly, Middle School Gandhi Nagar, which had adequate strength of around 70 students and was being run from quarters of the Estates Department, was also merged in Government High School Gandhi Nagar to save the monthly rent of Rs 2000.
Further setting the process on, the office of Chief Education Officer Jammu has now almost prepared the list of Government schools, which are being run from rented accommodations or have very poor strength of students in comparison to the teachers posted there.
In this connection, sources informed, the Zonal Education Officers have identified around 250 schools in Jammu district, mostly Primary Schools, which have almost negligible strength of students in comparison to the teachers posted there. There are a few schools, where the number of teachers is more than the total number of enrolled students, sources added.
Further, as per the official data, around 115 Government schools in Jammu district are being run from rented accommodations, owned by the Custodian Department, Auqaf, Municipal Corporation or private persons. The Government has been paying rent worth lakhs of rupees for these accommodations and Jammu Zone has highest number of such rented school buildings.
According to the sources, the official data is being compiled for forwarding the same to higher authorities and fate of these more than 350 schools is likely to be decided in the high level meeting, which may be convened within two-three days.
The merger of these schools even with nearby institutions is likely to affect the primary education of hundreds of enrolled poor children, mostly the kids of labourers, who may abandon their studies because of greater distance to cover for taking classes.
Further, the policy has also put a question mark on the existence of a few old schools since pre-independence, which are being run from rented accommodations. Government High School Ghah Mandi are among such schools, which have historic importance.
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