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| 59 ETT institutes in Valley, 267 in Jammu | | Without identifying politician owners, Minister says 125 B Ed colleges in J&K | | Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
SRINAGAR, Aug 22: Minister of Higher Education, Abdul Gani Malik, today informed Legislative Assembly that there were as many as 125 Bachelor of Education (B Ed) degree colleges and 326 Elementary Teachers Training (ETT) institutes in Jammu & Kashmir. Even as BJP’s Ashok Khajuria had asked for names of the owners of all of these colleges and institutes, Minister identified the proprietors of only the ETT institutes and significantly did not reveal the ownership of B Ed colleges. Politicians, including a sizeable number of sitting legislators and Ministers, happen to be the owners of B Ed colleges and beneficiaries of a well-connected education mafia in Jammu & Kashmir.
In written reply to Ashok Khajuria’s starred question, which did not come up for supplementary questions and discussion due to the MLA’s absence, Minister of Higher Education, Abdul Gani Malik, informed the House that there were a total of 125 private B Ed colleges in Jammu & Kashmir---76 in Jammu division and 49 in Kashmir. Giving a break-up, Minister revealed that there were as many as 41 private B Ed colleges in Jammu district alone, followed by 15 in Kathua, 8 in Samba, 4 in Udhampur, 3 each in Reasi and Rajouri and one each in Poonch and Doda districts.
In Kashmir valley, Minister said that there were 20 private B Ed colleges in Baramulla district, followed by 12 in Srinagar, 8 in Pulwama, 5 in Anantnag, 2 in Ganderbal and one each in Kupwara and Budgam districts.
In reply to part ‘b’ of Khajuria’s question [The names of the persons to whom permission have been granted and the proposed sites for these colleges] Minister of Higher Education identified only the owners of the ETT schools and did not mention the name of any of the owners of private B Ed colleges in the state. Since the MLA was away with RSS chief, Dr Mohan Rao Bhagwat, in Jammu, Mr Malik had the good luck of not being subjected to intense grilling on the subject.
Minister stated in the reply that there were as many as 326 ETT institutes in the state---267 in Jammu division and just 59 in Kashmir. He said that Jammu district topped the list with 134 ETT schools, followed by 94 in Kathua, 23 in Samba, 10 in Udhampur, 3 in Rajouri, 2 in Reasi and one in Doda district. In Kashmir valley, Baramulla again topped the list with 17 of such institutes, followed by 15 in Srinagar, 14 in Budgam, 5 in Pulwama and 4 each in Anantnag and Bandipore districts.
Establishment and recognition of ETT institutes and private B Ed colleges has been a lucrative business of politicians and officials at University of Kashmir, University of Jammu as well as J&K State Board of School Education. Even as Minister maintained that permission was being granted in cases “which fulfill the requirements laid down in SRO-339 of 2005 dated 20-12-2005 and Jammu & Kashmir Private Colleges (Regulation and Control) Act, 2002, it has been an open secret that owners of most of the private B Ed colleges were influential politicians of different political parties who have obtained permission from Higher Education Department and affiliation to the two universities without fulfilling the requirements.
As many as 20 sitting MLAs and MLCs of different political parties and Ministers in Omar Abdullah’s coalition government are said to be the real owners of these colleges. They have, however, projected their family members, relatives, friends or business partners as the owners in official records. Minister incharge himself is reportedly the owner of two of such colleges, both operational in Jammu district. Another Cabinet Minister from Jammu is said to be owner of a chain of private colleges, including at least three of such private B Ed colleges.
With remarkable impunity, officials at the Universities of Kashmir and Jammu have been openly charging bribe money of Rs 6 to 8 Lakh for granting affiliation while as the owners have been paying Rs 3 to 4 Lakhs to the University officials for reviewing and revalidating the affiliation on annual basis. One of the former Vice Chancellors of the University of Kashmir had got two of his own sons recruited through backdoor in his own university and appointed one of them as member of the committee responsible for reviewing the affiliation of B Ed colleges on yearly basis. Enjoying good relationship with the daughter of former Minister of Human Resources Development, Arjun Singh, same retired VC was earlier this year appointed on a key position of the Jammu & Kashmir Central University.
Police and State Vigilance Organisation have already registered criminal cases after learning that the private B Ed colleges had been charging huge amounts of Rs one to two Lakh from the enrolled students from three north Indian states for their continuously staying at home till conducting the examinations. In several cases, University officials had allegedly permitted impostors to appear as bona fide students in the examination. One of the security guards of a former VC of University of Kashmir had been caught red-handed in this scandal in 2007. Insiders insist that the rate of Rs 50,000 had been fixed by the KU officials for allotting each new seat in such colleges.
Recognition of ETT institutes had surfaced as a hot controversy in J&K Legislative Assembly in March 2008, leading to the resignation of then Minister of School Education, Pirzada Mohammad Sayeed. Then independent MLA from Sangrama, Shoaib Nabi Lone, had on the floor of the House charged Minister Pirzada with having demanded and accepted bribe of Rs 40,000 for ETT recognition of his sister’s school in Baramulla. MLA had publicly alleged that the Minister’s wife had threatened and harassed his mother and warned her of dire consequences if her son persisted with the demand of taking action against the Minister. Case registered by Police has already been hushed up and the Minister’s driver picked up as a scapegoat. Same politician has been yet again inducted as Minister incharge of School Education by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
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