Excelsior Correspondent
BARAMULLA, May 7: Reiterating his call for speeding up reforms in education sector, Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar today said the pupil would be the focus of the reincarnated education policy of the Government to be put into practice across the State.
Reviewing the functioning of the education sector during his extensive tour of educational institutions and marathon meetings here, Mr Akhtar said as a part of the new initiatives to be employed in the education sector, the Village Education Committees (VEC) are being revived to make the functioning of the department more participatory and institutionalize accountability in schooling.
“VECs will play key role in the development of localized education and school improvement plan and also monitor enrolment, retention, education of girl child and other disadvantaged groups, utilization of grants and constructions to attain the objective of Universal Elementary Education (UEE) in the State,” he said and added that while JK has adequate human and monetary resources for the development of the education sector, the only thing that is needed to bring a real turn-around in this crucial sector is the ‘will’ to make the things move.
Expressing dismay over hundreds of school building lying incomplete across the State, the Minister said that the Government’s priority would be to complete all such buildings in a time-bound manner and equip the same with adequate infrastructure to provide better facilities to the students.
Taking note of inadequate infrastructure in some schools, the Minister on-the-spot announced Rs 5 lakh each for Government Girls Higher Secondary School Sopore and Government Boys High School Palhallan (Pattan) for furniture and laboratory facilities respectively.
Regarding rationalization of staff, the Minister said that instructions have been issued to all the Chief Education Officers (CEOs) to ensure proper pupil-teacher ratio in the schools under their jurisdiction. He said a pool of general line teachers at district level and that of lecturers and masters at State level will be created for after-school care of students. He said the Anganwari centres should work in close coordination with the local primary schools to improvise schooling.
The Minister directed the Chief Education Officer and Zonal Education Officers to pay regular visits to schools in their respective areas of jurisdiction to ensure proper monitoring.
Mr Akhtar said the extra-curricular activities would be reactivated in the schools so that the students can explore their own State. He said hiking, trekking and mountaineering clubs would be established in the schools for the purpose. He said in Baramulla, Sardar Balbir Singh, Principal Higher Secondary School Delina would be the nodal Principal for such activities.
MLA Baramulla, Javed Hassan Beigh, MLA Gulmarg, Mohammad Abbas Wani and MLA Rafiabad, Yawar Dillawar Mir accompanied the Minister. MLA Uri, Mohammad Shafi conveyed the issues concerning his area in writing as he was out of station.
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