Asif Iqbal Naik
Early Times Report
KISHTWAR, Mar 22: The much-hyped slogan of free education to girl child up to higher secondary school is merely an eyewash, at least in Jammu and Kashmir.
Hefty fee under various categories is being charged from Class Ist up to 12th class in government schools while meager amount of Rs. 15, Rs 25, Rs. 40 & Rs. 75 has been exempted from the overall fee of a girl child right from 1st to 12th class in four different level category of the admission in various government run schools across the state.
As per the details available with Early Times, the Secretary to Government School Education Department vide order No. 108-Edu of 2018 Dated 1-2-2018 had fixed the overall admission fee for four different levels viz 1st to 5th, 6th to 8th, 9th to 10th and 11th to 12th for the current academic year 2018-19 which was further endorsed by Director School Education Jammu vide endorsement No. DSEJ/Acetts/2018/10348-10668, dated 15-2-2018 in which all including Principal SIE, CEOs, Principals of DIET, Principal GHSS/HSS were ordered to strictly compliance of government order regarding revision of fee structure in government schools of J&K.
As per the government order, "In supersession of Govt. Order No. 450-edu of 2016 Dated 21-11-2016 and other orders issued from time to time on the above subject, sanction is hereby accorded to the revision of fee structures in government Schools of Jammu and Kashmir to be charged from all categories of students with immediate effect".
As per the said government order each student from 1st to 5th class will have to pay Rs. 200 as admission fee which include School Improvement fund, Red Cross fund, Mutual Benefit fund, Games Fund, Admission Fee, Printing fund, Science fund, Computer fund, Library Development Fund, Social Activity fund, Sweeping charges, Magazine fund, form & prospects, Electricity/Telephone fund and news fund. Similarly the students from 6th to 8th class has been asked to pay Rs. 375, from 9th to 10th Rs. 850 & from 11th to 12th Rs. 1400 however the girls students has been exempted from paying admission fee which is Rs. 15 from 1st to 5th, Rs. 25 from 6th to 8th , Rs. 40 from 9th to 10th and Rs. 75 from 11th to 12th. Further the schools were allowed to retain 80% of the School Improvement Fund, 75% of Games Fund , 50% of the Red Cross fund and 80% of Social Activity Fund and according to the sources majority of the activities for which the students are paying did not took place in the government schools.
The poor people living in rural as well as urban areas are feeling very difficult to pay this pay as a result of which several students including the girls were drop out every year.
In addition to charging of hefty fee, the students including the girls are being charged examination fee of Rs. 300 upto 8th class, Rs. 730 for 10th as well as Rs. 450 as Registration fee in 9th class.
Speaking to Early Times, the father of a poor girl student said that he had no money to pay for the girl child for school admission fee added that the scholarship scheme launched by the government for poor students also did not reach to them added that he too falls victim to delayed tactics by the government officials and school management to clear the same. He said that he was forced to keep the daughter as a domestic helper at the home of a teacher who ensured her education and fee. He said that government should provide free education to students both girls and boys, beside should ensure that they will get benefits of all the financial assistance schemes launched by the government for the welfare of poor and downtrodden. |
