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| Huge sum goes down the drain as Tech Edu deptt fails to appoint faculty for heritage courses | | Students forced to suffer for no fault of theirs | | Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
srinagar, Nov 9: An amount of more than four crores being spent on annual basis on revival of heritage craft courses in the state is not being utilized in the correct manner since the faculty is not available to teach such courses in the training institutes of Jammu & Kashmir.
Early Times has learnt from sources that the state government spends about two crores per annum in the shape of stipend for the students who are pursuing courses in different heritage crafts. The government also spends two and half crores in the form of salary to the faculty engaged by the Department of Technical Education to train the students.
"About 800 students are seeking training in these courses every year and an amount of Rs. 2000 is paid to each of them as stipend per month in order to develop their interest and increase their employability. However, the exercise has not been taken so serious since the faculty is not available for some of the courses," said the sources.
Sources said that the present session of training started in September 2018 and till date most of the institutes are without the instructor. They said that in the absence of instructors the necessary skills are not being imparted to the students receiving training in the courses where instructors are not available.
"Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Bemina is without the practical instructor of carpet technology, Government Polytechnic for Women is without theory instructor of shawl embroidery, ITI Anantnag is the without theory instructor of shawl weaving, ITI Kangan is without theory instructor of shawl weaving, ITI Baramulla is without instructor of shawl embroidery theory and shawl weaving theory," said sources.
Sources said that heritage craft courses were introduced in seven industrial training institutes and two polytechnic colleges of the state in 2015 by then chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed with an object to regain the lost image of the heritage sector and give rise to employment avenues.
"To begin with courses like shawl weaving, shawl embroidery, carpet technology, walnut woodcarving, Basohli paining, paper machie and phulkari arts have been started in ITI Anantnag, ITI Srinagar, ITI Bemina, ITI Baramulla, ITI Pattan, ITI Kangan, ITI Basohli and Government Polytechnic for Women, Bemina and Government Polytechnic College Srinagar," said sources.
Sources said that a group of trainees from the various institutes and polytechnics approached the higher ups of Department of Technical Education with the grievance that they are attending their classes without learning anything as their trades are without the instructor. The matter was also bought into the notice of the Director Technical Education, Anno Malhotra in the first week of October.
"The Director Technical Education issued on spot instructions to the concerned head of the institutes and principals of polytechnics for engagement of suitable faculty as per their requirement. She also directed Joint Director, Technical Education ITI sector Kashmir and Joint Director Polytechnic sector for engagement of guest faculty in the institutes as per their requirement within a week's time," said the sources.
Sources said that the directions issued by Director Technical Education for engagement of faculty for teaching the various heritage courses have fallen on deaf ears with students forced to suffer for no fault of theirs. The delay in engagement of faculty has led to disinterest among some of the students in the different institutes. |
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