By strange quirk of destiny, our entire education system is under scrutiny. In a sense, this is good for the health of the department. There is constant cry for reform in educational system in our country. Actually, we have inherited it from the days of British Raj though, of course, we did introduce a few changes and innovations here and there with the passage of time. The reason for demand for reform is genuine. There is much development in the areas of science and technology. This development demands that we reset the curricula in schools and colleges so that our budding youth are capable of coping up with the demands of the present century and even look beyond in future. Secondly, the means of imparting education in view of new technologies have changed. Computer science has opened new world of knowledge upon the student community. Today’s student has to know many more things than what his curricula presents, because he is living in an age of scientific and technological advancement.
This is all right in its place. However, today we intend to speak more of infrastructure than of curricula in our educational institutions. Primary and Middle Schools are where the foundation for educating the youth is laid. As such, common sense says that schools at primary and basic levels should be such as would attract the young students who are just kids. The infrastructure level of Primary and Middle class level school leaves a deep imprint on the mind of the student. For long years in life, the reminiscences fondly haunt us about the school and its structure and other infrastructural facilities, which were or were not available then.
In a bid to spread education everywhere in the State, we found that proper space and structures were not available that easy. A short cut to the objective of dissemination of education was found in renting school accommodation until the Department of School Education was able to raise its structures for the schools. In the city of Jammu alone, according to a survey made by our reporters, the department pays about five lakh rupees as annual rent to hired accommodation. This practice has been going on for decades at end and nobody in the Department cared to think about purchasing land within the city parameters and raise buildings for the schools that were running in private accommodation. Nobody focused on planning which is quite essential in any developmental work. A Middle School in Gandhi Nagar runs in a private two-room accommodation. A primary school functions in the hall of a temple. What type of culture will students find in two-room ghetto of a school or in the hall of a temple? It is absurd and ridiculous. The city has been expanding and there is no blue print of the expansion. Localities have come up in unplanned and haphazard manner. As these are densely populated, there arises the need for civic amenities, schools, playgrounds and the rest of it. Sine there is no planning, none of these facilities is provided to the student community who generally prefer to go to a nearby school.
Unfortunately, the State Education Department has not even benefited from the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan scheme of the Central Government, which promised to provide funds for opening new schools, raising their structures and related things. This indicates total apathy of the functionaries of the Department. Who will believe that many of our schools, especially in rural areas, do not have even toilet and fresh water facility. In most of the countries of the world, which are still in a process of development as our country, schools are opened by the State only after the school buildings with all stipulated facilities like water, electricity, toilets, recreation room, playground, laboratory, library, and television room etc are made available.
It is good that the State Education Minister has taken serious note of this huge discrepancy and is thinking of changing this situation. Immediately, he plans to merge the rented schools with the adjoining Government Schools that have the capacity to admit more students and have the required infrastructural facility. This would certainly give the students a feel of a school in letter and in spirit. When students of varying age are huddled together in just two rooms, it creates psychological barriers among the student community.
However, what the Minister is thinking has to be made applicable not only to Jammu city schools but to the entire state. In rural arras and in towns of the State, a large number of schools are housed in small rented rooms. These have to be taken away and located in proper schools buildings. In fact, the Education Department should re-consider the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan of the Centre and utilise the funds for construction of school buildings. The Government has to draw a long time scheme of creating its own structures and not renting rooms for schools. This has to be a futuristic plan.
Follow our WhatsApp channel