Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 3: Hundreds of students in the municipal limits of Jammu would shortly say good-bye to the ‘pathetic schools’ from where they are presently compelled to lay strong foundation of their future in the present competitive era. Now, they would understand the exact meaning of an educational institution and come to know how much grave injustice was meted to them till date mainly due to uncalled-for interference from different quarters in the policy matters relating to education sector.
According to the information available with EXCELSIOR, there are numerous schools in the Government sector in the municipal limits of Jammu, which are functioning from one or two room pitiable accommodation taken on rent by the School Education Department several years back.
For the students of these schools, a Government educational institution means inadequate accommodation, lack of facilities for extra-curricular activities and laboratories. In some of such schools, the students of different age groups and classes jostle with each other while studying, as there is only one classroom in the rented accommodation.
This is mainly because of the fact that those who got such schools sanctioned never paid any attention towards creation of infrastructure, which otherwise is needed for providing quality education that too in a comfortable atmosphere.
Quoting an example, official sources said that a Government Middle School, which falls in Gandhi Nagar Zone is functioning from a room in a temple taken on rent by the School Education Department several years back. Around 55 students of different standards of this school are getting education from one room thereby indicating that School Education Department was in the state of policy paralysis during the past many years.
One more school, which is also running from a hall of a temple taken on rent of Rs 5000 per month, education is being imparted to students without the required facilities and comfortable atmosphere. Moreover, there are also some schools, which are operating from the under-construction houses taken on rent by the department, sources informed.
Now, hundreds of students would soon say good-bye to such ‘pathetic schools’ as Directorate of School Education, Jammu has started exercise to rationalize the existing resources to provide multiple benefits to those pupils, who are presently being compelled to lay strong edifice of their future on feeble platform.
Besides those of ‘pathetic schools’, the students of Government Middle School, Gandhi Nagar would also derive benefit of rationalization of resources. This school is being operated from Estates Department Quarter No.7A taken on rent during the past many decades as nobody till date paid any attention towards providing better facilities and atmosphere to 66 students of this school by getting the school merged with the Government High School, Gandhi Nagar which is situated at less than 100 meters distance.
“On one side the department is putting burden on exchequer by giving rent to the Estates Department and on the other side we are depriving the students of Middle School of those facilities which they can easily avail in the Government High School having adequate infrastructure and facilities like laboratories”, Director School Education, Simrandeep Singh said when contacted.
He said that Government High School, Gandhi Nagar have 350 students and still it has the capacity to accommodate more than 200 students and by merging Middle School with High School the students of Middle School would have congenial atmosphere and better facilities for shaping their future.
When his attention was drawn towards the fact that School Education Department is paying Rs 5 lakh per annum for those schools, which are being operated from rented accommodation in Jammu city, the Director said, “the Zonal Education Officers of Jammu City and Gandhi Nagar have been directed to furnish the list of schools, which are functioning from private accommodation, so that the students of these schools are shifted to nearby Government schools having own buildings”.
According to the sources, though funds under Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan are provided for construction of infrastructure of schools opened under this scheme, the same could not be expended due to non-availability of adequate land during the past many years.
“If the School Education Department could not get land for such schools during the past several years, there are grim chances of the same at present”, they said, adding “instead of doing injustice with the pupils of such schools it is better to shift them to nearby schools having own buildings”.
According to the sources, rationalization of resources would also be started by the Directorate of School Education, Kashmir shortly as directions in this regard have already been issued by the Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar.
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