Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, May 11: In a PIL filed by Umar Farooq, hailing from Dialgam in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, it has been said that government respondents should implement the Right to Education Act in letter and spirit in Jammu & Kashmir.
A division bench of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court Srinagar wing comprising Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Moksha Khajuria Kazmi, directed AAG to file response within one month. It has been submitted that due to the unprecedented situation in Jammu & Kashmir post July 2019, private schools remained non-functional due to one reason or another. Most of the schools in J&K have started pressurising parents to pay full monthly payments, including tuition fees, bus fee and other incidental charges the PIL states, adding that the right to free education is an essential sovereign function of the welfare state.
“Despite the fact that none of the aforesaid facilities have been utilised by school children, the parents are being told to pay the tuition fee. This despite the fact that their children have not taught by teachers during the period these remained closed,” the PIL states, praying that the court directs the respondents, including the Chief Secretary, Commissioner Secretary, Education Department, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir and the Director, School Education, Kashmir, to ensure that no tuition fee, bus fee or any other incidental fee is charged from the students by any educational institutions in J&K from August 2019 onwards till normal class work resumes.
The DB observed that Shah Aamir, the then AAG was granted time to file response to the petition. Till date no response has been filed. Asifa Padroo, AAG is present today and seeks a months' further time for filing response. DB grants one months’ time to file response. |
