news details |
|
|
| Political elite transforms education into business, runs private institutions directly, indirectly | | | Bashir Assad
Srinagar, June 4: The Jammu and Kashmir government owes a solemn responsibility to the
populace to put the rotten education system on track by taking effective administrative and financial measures, however, for all practical purposes it has failed to deliver to put the education system on track.
On one hand the government has failed to put the government schools back on rails which continue to present a gloomy picture of the entire system and the inefficiency rather insensitivity of the government in improving the infrastructure in these schools to impart quality education to all. The malaise in the government schools has set in so deeply that it will require drastic measures to put the system back on rails. Lack of sufficient facilities in villages schools, failure of government schools to maintain high education standards and lack of accountability are the major factors responsible for educational backwardness of the state particularly the rural Jammu and Kashmir. as such the private educational institutions have become the first choice of every rich and poor with poor, however, giving up the choice because they could not afford.
Due to huge rush of the students at various levels in private institutions, transformation from educational institution to commercial hubs was the natural fallout. Sooner or latter government could have rope in these commercial hubs (private educational institutions), however, what prevented the political dispensation was the fact that majority of the
politicians if not all had jumped into the business with the sole intention of earning by
looting.
Early Times has access to official data which suggest that many big stalwarts of National
Conference-Congress government and senior leaders of the coalition partners are running
educational institution especially B Ed colleges and Elementary Teacher Training (ETT)
colleges across the length and breadth of the state either in their name or in the name of
their kith and kin or close relatives. Now the business in the name of imparting quality
education has turned out to be a big scandal as most of these institutions are being run
fraudulently. What is even more shocking is the fact that whenever there is outcry, officials
of education department including State Board of Scholl Education and Universities of Jammu
and Kashmir are made scapegoats. Though there are black sheep in these institutions who have
undermined the credibility of these reputed institutions for their personal interests and who
are hell bent to destroy the image of honest, dedicated and hardworking seniors but the fact
remains that it is the political elite who in violation of the norms, rules and regulations
have formed a vicious circle to further their agenda.
More than 5000 private schools have been opened in various parts of the state during the past
some time and the private school either owners enjoy political patronage or are run by
politicians on the analogy already existing ministers of Omar Abdullah led coalition
government holding benami property in various parts of the state and still talking of
fighting corruption.
There are allegations that many schools (B Ed and ETT colleges) rum by politicians directly or
indirectly, have failed to maintain high education standards and their managements are not
only fleecing the students by charging high fee and miscellaneous expenses but also paying a
pittance to the teachers from whom receipts of higher salaries are allegedly got signed.
The state government has from time to time been making announcements that the fee structure of
the private schools will be fixed and steps taken to stop exploitation of teachers, but
nothing has been done for obvious reasons.
Official records available with Early Times suggest that politicians who are held in high
esteem and hold highest constitutional position too are running private educational
institutions as business centres. Even one of the senior leaders of the coalition procured the
certificate of a B.Ed college in Srinagar against the cash payment of 80 lakh rupees.
It is here that allegations of irregularities and corruption in shady Elementary Teacher
Training institutes and B.Ed colleges are always there but whom to blame ? who is at fault? Is
it BOSE, Kashmir University, Jammu University of the political elite that has jumped into the
business of education.
There was a time when MIER college of Education, Dogra College of Education, M C Khalsa
College of Education, Muslim Educational Trust Teachers College and New Ghandi Memorial
College of Education were few reputed B.Ed colleges of the state where quality training was
imparted to the trainees and standard of imparting education was more or less the same as that
of Kashmir University and Jammu university. However, with the mushroom growth of B.Ed colleges
mostly enjoying political patronage, quality of education has suffered a huge setback and the
government is watching all this with haplessness.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
