Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 13: The Jammu and Kashmir Private Schools United Front (PSUF) and Employees Joint Action Committee has asked the Government to end academic session disparity between the two divisions of State and streamline the transfer policy which has become a vital element of corruption in the Education Department.
“The biggest hurdle faced by the students of the State has been the disparity of the sessions. On one side we have winter (October) session in Kashmir and on the other hand there is spring session in Jammu, which creates a lot of confusion in the administrative, academic and overall Education Department,” said EJAC president and JKTF chairman Abdul Qayoom Wani and president PSUF G N Var, while addressing a joint press conference, here today.
Stating that earlier it was same everywhere, they alleged that some bureaucrats changed the session of Kashmir just to benefit their children, wives and other relatives who work in Education Department. “They manage the annual exams in Kashmir in October and then as winter sets in flee to warm environs of Jammu. In March, they again manage to extend holiday as there is no urgency of annual exams,” they explained and appealed the Government to start the March session in Kashmir from this year.
Wani also stressed on the need to streamline transfers in the Education Department. “The transfers are becoming the tools of corruption. People are threatened with punishment postings and other gets plum posting by bribing the officials. There should be a transparent transfer policy. And transfers in education should all be completed at the end of the session and not in the middle of sessions,” he explained.
Both the leaders listed some more suggestions for improving the Health of Education Department and streamlining the system. “The Government focus on improving quantity of education should be shifted to improving quality. The core academics needs to be strengthened,” they elaborated and also demanded improvement in the BOSE working, separate academic and Administration heads in Education Department, etc.
Var highlighted the plights of private schools and demanded that Government should sponsor fee of flood hit students for at least five months. “Schools have been barred from fee hike, but Government should come up with alternatives like grant-in aid so that quality education doesn’t suffer,” he added.
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