*85 KGVB buildings yet to be completed
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 1: Shocking it may sound but it is a fact that up-gradation of nearly 400 Middle Schools under Government of India scheme titled Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) has been hanging in balance during the past several years because of varied reasons and the Government has failed to come up with a mechanism to ensure their completion without wastage of any further time. Similar is the fate of 85 hostels sanctioned under Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya scheme of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.
The RMSA scheme was launched in March 2009 with the objective to enhance access to secondary education and to improve its quality. Under the scheme, the Middle Schools are upgraded to the High Schools level by providing additional class rooms, laboratories, libraries, art and crafts room, toilet blocks and drinking water provisions etc.
The School Education Department of Jammu and Kashmir identified huge number of schools for up-gradation under this scheme in the length and breadth of the State and accordingly the sanction was accorded to the same.
Shockingly, nearly 400 Middle Schools are still awaiting up-gradation to the level of High School despite lapse of several years because of the inability of those who remained at the helm of affairs in the School Education Department to resolve the connecting issues. Due to this, large number of students of these Middle Schools have been deprived of the benefits of the RMSA scheme till date.
According to the official data of the School Education Department, several schools whose up-gradation was sanctioned in 2009-10 and 2010-11 are still incomplete and their physical status has been reflected as “roof level”, “brick work”, “plinth level” and “finishing level”. Similarly, the up-gradation of large number of schools which was approved in 2011-12 is at “GF slab level”, “plinth level” and “finishing level”. Many of schools sanctioned during 2011-12 financial year are facing land issue despite lapse of several years while huge number of others are still at tendering process.
As per the data, the tendering process for almost all the schools sanctioned for up-gradation during 2014-15 financial year is yet to be completed and when the additional infrastructure for such schools would become available remains a million dollar question especially in view of the fact that those taken up in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 are still awaiting completion.
These startling figures were tabled in the Legislative Assembly by none else than the Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar in response to a question of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Doda, Shakti Raj Parihar.
Highlighting the reasons behind the inordinate delay in up-gradation of schools, sources said, “majority of these schools were identified for up-gradation under RMSA in most haphazard manner as a result of which expansion of several schools became impossible for want of sufficient space”, adding “similarly, no focus was laid on whether there is sufficient land available in premises of the schools or in the adjoining areas to facilitate their expansion”.
“Because of these issues the construction activities got delayed and subsequently the cost of the construction increased considerably”, sources said, adding “several schools for which an amount of Rs 30 lakh to Rs 35 lakh was kept for up-gradation are not slated to be completed at a cost of even Rs 60 lakh or Rs 70 lakh and the Government is unable to meet the additional expenditure”.
Stating that not only School Education Department even Roads and Buildings Department is also responsible for delay in up-gradation of schools, sources said, “there are numerous instances indicating slackness on the part of R&B Department authorities”, adding “despite delay in up-gradation no effort was made to come up with the measures to resolve the issues impeding the completion of work”.
According to the sources, during the current financial year, no targets for up-gradation of any category of schools has been approved by the Government of India.
Not only up-gradation of schools under RMSA, even the fate of 85 hostels sanctioned under Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya is hanging in balance during the past several years.
The Ministry of Human Resource and Development had sanctioned 99 KGBV buildings for the State. However, only 14 have been completed till date while as 55 are at various stages of construction and 30 have not been taken up so far.
Though the issue of additional funds for 30 KGBV buildings has been taken up with Ministry of Human Resource and Development, no positive signal has been received till date, sources said.
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