Liberate education sector from consumerism: Tarigami
Vikas Sharma
JAMMU, Mar 12: Despite several reforms aimed at improving the education sector, Government schools in J&K continue to grapple with severe infrastructure issues and an imbalanced pupil-teacher ratio (PTR), leading to concerns about the quality of education for thousands of students.
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This was a common concern, which was expressed by the Legislators from all the political parties, while participating in the discussion over the grants on Health and Medical Education (HME), Social Welfare (SW) and Education departments.
The grants for these departments were tabled by Minister Sakeena Itoo today in the Legislative Assembly (LA).
Participating in the discussions, MLA Kulgam, Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami, said, “Many government-run schools in the city remained housed in dilapidated buildings that are not conducive to learning. Basic amenities such as functional toilets, clean drinking water, and lab equipment are in short supply, leaving students to face challenging and unhygienic conditions.”
The MLA called on the Government to liberate the education sector from consumerism and commodification.
He criticized the new National Education Policy, claiming that it undermines the principles of free, universal education which were previously available in Jammu and Kashmir.
Over the issues in healthcare sector, Tarigami praised SKIMS, Srinagar, for providing quality healthcare services to the poor.
He urged the Government to ensure that all Government hospitals and Medical Colleges in J&K are adequately equipped with facilities and staff, so that patients do not need to seek treatment outside J&K, as is often the case currently.
Tarigami also demanded for increased salaries and incentives for ASHA workers.
MLA Iftikar Ahmed of Rajouri expressed concern over the commercialization of the education sector in his constituency, stating, “The education sector has been severely impacted following the closure of more than 1,000 schools. There is a severe shortage of teachers, promotions for masters have been pending for a long time, and there is no transfer policy for women teachers who are married in other districts. Without addressing these issues, it will be impossible to get the education sector back on track.”
He further demanded that the Education Minister constitute a special task force to address these challenges.
MLA Daleep Singh Parihar from Bhaderwah raised concerns about the low salaries of Anganwadi and Asha workers, who, despite working tirelessly, receive meager pay compared to others in the sector.
Regarding the recent hike in MLA salaries, Parihar remarked, “With the current salaries, it is very difficult for us to continue the development work in our constituencies.”
He also addressed the shortage of teaching staff in his constituency and urged the appointment of contractual teachers to fill the gap until the vacant positions for regular teachers are filled.
MLA Gulabgarh, Khursheed Ahmad drew attention to urgent concerns affecting the people in his constituency.
He highlighted several pressing issues, including a lack of staff in schools, vacant principal positions and the non-availability of ZEOs.
These issues, he said, were having a detrimental impact on the education of students, who were suffering due to the inadequate infrastructure in schools.Participating in discussions, MLA Kathua, Dr Bharat Bhushan expressed concern over the shortage of doctors, specialist doctors and paramedics at Medical College Kathua.
He pointed out the absence of key specialists such as Cardiologists, Nephrologists, Gastroenterologists, Urologist and Plastic Surgeons and noted that only two out of the 22 sanctioned Medical Officer posts were filled.
Regarding the Sub-District Hospital (SDH) in Nagri, Dr Bhushan informed the Assembly that the posts for Surgeons, Pediatricians, Radiologists and Gynecologists were vacant. He called for the immediate posting of doctors to SDH Nagri and emphasized the need to upgrade the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Lakhanpur.
Speaking on the grants for the Social Welfare Department, he stressed the need to strengthen this department, which plays a central role in implementing the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.
He urged collective efforts from the SWD, the police, and other stakeholders to tackle the growing drug menace and protect the youth.
Additionally, he called for an increase in the honorarium of Anganwadi workers and helpers.
MLA Ramgarh, Dr Devinder Kumar Manyal, raised several important issues concerning his constituency. He expressed disappointment that CM Omar Abdullah had not mentioned the welfare schemes for Scheduled Castes (SCs) in his budget speech.
He criticized the National Conference Government for neglecting the welfare of this community and strongly emphasized the need for the establishment of an SC Board to protect the rights of Scheduled Castes.
The MLA also called for the restoration of reservation in promotion for SC/ST employees, following a directive from the Supreme Court.
Dr Manyal advocated for an immediate increase in the salaries of NHM employees and ASHA workers.
MLA Poonch Haveli, Aijaz Ahmad Jan, sought the Speaker’s intervention regarding the disappearance of a young man, Yawar Rashid, who had traveled to Jammu for an examination but has been missing since. He urged the authorities to take immediate action to locate the youth.
MLAs from the Kashmir Division, including Salman Sagar, Irfan Rasool Kar, Mushtaq Guroo and Sheikh Ahsan Ahmad, highlighted the slow progress in the installation of streetlights by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation and other municipal bodies. They emphasized the urgency of accelerating this work, especially during the holy month of Ramadhan, to provide relief to residents.
Similarly, MLA Shangus-Anantnag East, Riyaz Ahmad Khan, pointed out that the installation of smart meters in his constituency had led to the disconnection of previously installed streetlights.
He urged the authorities to restore these streetlights to prevent inconvenience to the public.
Raising concerns over essential public services, MLA Ramban, Arjun Singh Raju, called for an increase in the number of ration depots in his constituency, citing difficulties faced by the people in 10 hilly panchayats that rely on only two ration depots.
MLA Banihal, Sajad Shaheen, expressed concern over the vacant Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) post in Banihal, which has been causing hardships for the people.
He urged the government to fill this critical position immediately to ensure smooth administration in the area. Many other legislators including Dr Shafi Ahmad Wani, Pyare Lal Sharma, Irshad Rasool Kar, Mir Mohammad Fayaz, Mushtaq Ahmad Guroo, Surinder Kumar, Peerzada Feroze Ahmad, Choudhary Mohammad Akram, Shamima Firdous, Dr Narinder Singh and Mehraj Malik also raised their issues with respect to these Departments and their respective constituencies.
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