*Govt claims about turnaround in edu sector turn hollow
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 3: Contrary to the tall claims of the PDP-BJP Coalition Government about making turnaround in the education sector, over 70% Government schools in rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir are still without electricity thereby depriving lakhs of students of benefit of information and communication technology.
Every now and then the Government comes up with the official statements that education sector is receiving priority attention and during a short span of time radical changes have been brought in this vital area by initiating ‘revolutionary’ steps. However, these claims have turned hollow even on the primary issue of providing electricity what to talk of other aspects.
This can be gauged from the official figures, which paint dismal scenario vis-à-vis availability of electricity in the schools located in the rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir. There are a total of 25607 schools in rural areas of the State at the elementary level but only 6662 have electricity while as remaining 18,945 schools are still clamoring for this basic facility.
“The dilly-dallying approach in providing electricity to such a large number of schools is notwithstanding the fact that Ministry of Human Resource Development has taken this aspect as a challenge and is repeatedly issuing instructions to the States including Jammu and Kashmir”, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
In the adjoining State of Himachal Pradesh, which has topography similar to that of J&K, less than 1000 schools have remained without electricity connection only because the Government there decided to pay serious attention towards this aspect so that no student is deprived of benefit of information technology, sources said, adding “it is regrettable that in J&K concerned authorities are only interested in issuing statements making hollow claims instead of paying serious attention towards this important aspect”.
The Government has failed to provide electricity to such a large number of schools despite the fact that power supply is imperative to help and facilitate some of the schools activities. Electricity is also of vital important especially in the computer laboratory. “In the absence of electricity connection the students of 18945 schools have yet not seen the computers what to talk of getting computer education”, sources regretted.
Disclosing that Union HRD Ministry has dashed a communication to Education Secretary of J&K expressing concern over such a large number of schools remaining without electricity, sources said, “the dismal scenario is prevailing despite the fact that Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) covers all aspects of rural electrification”.
“In village electrification, extending electricity infrastructure to public places like schools, health centres, Panchayat offices and community centres is a vital component under DDUGJY paving improvement in socio-economic development of rural areas”, sources said, adding “the benefit of this Centrally Sponsored Scheme has yet not reached any of the 18945 un-electrified school mainly due to the failure of Power Development Department to kick start implementation of scheme”.
Holding lack of coordination between School Education and Power Development Departments responsible for such a large number of schools remaining without electricity, sources said, “on one side the School Education Department never put required pressure on PDD for taking up electrification work on mission mode and on the other side the PDD didn’t find it appropriate to take electricity to the villages, which is the foremost step towards extending electricity connection to public places including schools”.
Expressing inability to specify time-frame for providing electricity connection to 18,945 schools, sources said, “nobody knows when the PDD will be able to start execution of works identified under DDUGJY. Moreover, the schools will get electricity only when the villages where they are situated get electrified”.
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