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| In 5 years, SED couldn’t utilize Rs 35 crore for building infrastructure | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 27: The school education department could not utilize more than 34 crore rupees sanctioned for the repair of the damaged school buildings in the erstwhile state. Though the money was sanctioned five years ago, its utilization was drastically delayed by the authorities sans any concrete reason.
Documents in possession of Early Times reveal that in all, 718 repair and renovation works relating to the permanent restoration of damaged infrastructure in the School Education Department were identified in December 2016 for execution, at an estimated cost of Rs 107.61 crore.
Documents reveal further that of this, 536 works were completed by the Department till September 2020. The records reveal that 99 works were under progress at an expenditure of Rs 30.53 crore. Furthermore, what could be a worrisome scenario is the fact that 83 works were not taken up for execution till recently. Also, against a total sanction of Rs 100.22 crore under the project, Rs 66.14 crore were utilised by the Department during the period from 2016-17 to 2020-21. However, an estimated more than 34 crore rupees remained unutilized during that period. The Department of school education has attributed climatic considerations and unrest prevailed in the past as reasons for the delay in completion of works.
However, what remains an undeniable fact is that the works were identified in December 2016 and were still not complete. Documents added that 83 works, at an estimated cost of Rs 7.72 crore could not be taken up due to land dispute, insufficient funds, shifting and clubbing of school buildings, frequent change of executing agencies or works not taken up as per reconstruction plan.
Sources confirmed that due to the non-execution of the works, the infrastructure building process was severely hit and that the government couldn’t utilize the money sanctioned exclusively for the up-gradation of the school infrastructure.
This newspaper has already highlighted how the school infrastructure is the least priority in Jammu and Kashmir and that the students suffer the most in absence of the last facilities. In government schools of the Jammu region alone there are hundreds of schools that have no libraries, no laboratories and there are 19273 schools wherein toilet facility, Drinking water, government building or compound walling is missing. Such figures while unmasking the tall claims of the state authorities over ensuring betterment in the state’s education sector have once again proved how Jammu schools are being neglected and forgotten. Children in these schools are being denied quality education, hence bellying the claims of an advanced system of learning and teaching. Furthermore, the Jammu region has 762 schools without a library facility available for children. At a time when the government claims of ensuring the betterment in sports infrastructure in schools, asking children to actively take part in extra- co-curricular activities, there are more than five thousand schools in Jammu region of the state that have no playgrounds. 105 schools in the region are functioning without Headmasters or Principals. 1257 schools in Jammu have no subject teachers. And finally, there are 683 schools in JK which have recorded less than 30 percent of the result. Again of out of these 683 schools, 476 which are around 70 percent in total, are in Jammu region of the state. |
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