Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 18: Minister for School Education, Haj and Auqaf and Tribal Affairs, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali, today informed that Government has enhanced in take capacity of Gujjar and Bakerwal (G&B) hostels by 500 seats across the State.
The Minister said this at a meeting organized to review the functioning of Tribal Affairs Department.
He said that so far the hostels were accommodating 2100 students, but from this year 500 more seats have been added to take the number to 2600 within the already sanctioned budget.
Zulfkar Ali said the Government is intending to almost double the number to 5000 seats for next financial year with around 19 hostels already under construction.
He also informed that all the 23 G&B hostels across the State are to be converted into residential schools. To make them model schools, the Minister said that under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the schools will get logistical support including desks, blackboards, and other related things. He further revealed that faculty for these schools will come from Directorate of Education, Jammu and Kashmir.
To ensure the work gets done at an earliest, the Minister directed Secretary Advisory Board to submit a compliance report by the end of this month to check if all the hostels converted into residential schools are made functional. He said that by next month, all the residential schools across the State would be e-inaugurated.
He also directed to ensure that two Eklaviya Residential Schools are made operational at an earliest.
Vice-Chairman J&K State Advisory Board for Development of Gujjars and Bakerwals Gulzar Ahmad Khatana, Secretary Tribal Affairs (TA) Salma Hamid, Special Secretary TA Mohammed Sharief Chowdhary, Director Finance TA Dr S K Sain, Secretary Advisory Board Mukhtar Chowdhary and other concerned were present in the meeting.
Meanwhile Zulfkar Ali, announced that Government is planning to use Haj House Bemina as a coaching centre for civil service aspirants from the State.
“Usually the aspirants from the State travel to Delhi or to other States to receive the coaching. The whole affair of coaching, boarding, lodging and other expenses make it difficult and almost impossible for aspirants coming from humble financial background to receive the coaching,” the Minister said.
He said Haj House is usually used for not more than 15 days during the annual Haj period and afterwards it remains vacant. However, if the same could be used to provide quality coaching facility to civil service aspirants coming from weaker sections of society it in itself would be a noble cause.
Zulfkar said that to ensure the House becomes the centre of excellence, Government intends to collaborate with a Delhi based coaching centre, which has delivered the results in terms of qualifying the competitive exams in the past.
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