*Full staff posted against zero enrolment
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 6: The ambitious model cluster schools scheme of PDP-BJP Coalition Government has started facing hurdles at its inception stage as schools selected under the scheme were found physically non-existent on ground but having full staff against zero enrolment of students. These startling facts have made it clear that unless a full stop is put on the political interference in the School Education Department no scheme in the education sector can yield any positive result.
Reliable sources told EXCELSIOR that in order to improve quality of education and facilities in Middle and Primary Schools the new Education Minister, Naeem Akhtar chalked out model cluster schools scheme. Under this scheme, the Higher Secondary Schools would act as mentor for the Middle and Primary Schools in their vicinity so that infrastructure as well as standard of education in these institutions is improved up to the desired level.
By way of meeting their all requirements and raising quality of education, the Government intends to encourage the people to admit their children in these schools instead of opting for the private schools. In order to kick start the scheme, the Education Minister in the recent past directed for identification of schools for being mentored by the Higher Secondary Schools.
Accordingly, Directorate of School Education, Jammu decided to establish Ranbir Higher Secondary School and Sunjwan Higher Secondary School clusters at the initial stage and on the basis of official record identified the schools to be mentored by the Principals of these Higher Secondary Schools. For Ranbir Higher Secondary School cluster, Middle Schools of Tange Wali Gali, B C Road and Primary Schools of B C Road, Shalamar, Maheshpura and Khoo Talab were selected.
Thereafter, officials of Directorate started paying personal visits to these identified schools to work out their infrastructure and other requirements. However, startling facts have come to the fore about the existence of such schools.
Primary Schools of B C Road, Shalamar, Maheshpura and Khoo Talab were found to be merged with the Middle School B C Road, which is operating from two quarters of the Estates Department. In the functional Middle School B C Road, there are one master and nine teachers while as 12 teachers were found posted in four merged Primary Schools that too against zero enrolment of students.
This clearly established that these schools were only functioning in the official record and on ground these schools are non-existent, sources said, adding this was done by the previous dispensation only to accommodate influential teachers and paying them salaries without performing any duty.
The intensity of political patronage, which 12 teachers deployed in four merged Primary Schools were enjoying, can be gauged from the fact that no order was found in the official record vis-à-vis merger of these schools, sources said. Due to this, the ambitious scheme of model cluster schools faced hurdles at the inception stage as Directorate of School Education, in consultation with the Minister, had to bring down the number of schools for Ranbir Higher Secondary School cluster.
“This can be just tip of an iceberg as the possibility of more non-existent schools in Jammu as well as Srinagar cannot be ruled out”, sources said in response to a question, adding “it is really a matter of serious concern that for the comforts of influential teachers the future of students in rural areas is being put to jeopardy as services of such teachers could have been better utilized in the schools having posts lying vacant for quite long time”.
The deployment of 12 teachers in the schools existing in papers only is notwithstanding the fact that in rural areas there is infrastructure as well as students but there is shortage of teachers. These revelations have made it clear that political interference, which was allowed in the functioning of the School Education Department, is required to be brought to an end otherwise the comfort of teachers and masters in such schools would put into jeopardy the future of schools in rural areas.
Moreover, these startling facts should be an eye-opener for the politicians and they should not try to appease some teachers at the cost of future of students particularly at a time when quality education assumes much importance in this competitive world.
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