Last Updated on June 7, 2022 at 12:33 pm
The much hyped enrollment drive initiated by the School Education Department (SED) seems to have flatten as department have not been able to provide textbooks to its students. Though department claims that it has enrolled around new admissions of one lakh students each year in government schools but fails to provide the necessary textbooks to the students.
Schools are facing dearth of textbooks despite almost half of the academic session is over. Department for enrolling students had visited door to door to convince parents to admit their children in government schools. Department’s USP was the free textbooks, free uniform and MDM for the kids in schools.
While the education department claimed to have increased their enrolment in schools, this step also led to the closure of almost all budget schools. As per figures produced by Private Schools Association J&K (PSAJK) around 300 of schools faced closure during the pandemic period due to their financial losses, reportedly.
Students were assured of getting free textbooks and proper infrastructure but ground reality is entirely different. The students did not get the textbooks and proper infrastructure in schools.
As per Greater Kashmir, the department provides text books for only 75 percent of students and schools are asked to manage the 25 percent by reusing the textbooks provided to the students previous year.
Last year, the department recognized the shortage of textbooks in the schools and asked the Chief Education Officers (CEOs) for sending requisitions for additional requirements of textbooks for the students.
Mostly, the newly enrolled students fall in pre-primary classes but the department delays procurement of text books for these students despite having a considerable increase in new enrolment of classes 1st to 8th for which more books are required.
