Srinagar:-Representatives of National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA), a congregation of unaided budget private schools (BPS) of India on Monday said the rules and regulations for education in Jammu and Kashmir are different from rest of the states of India.
We thought rules for education would be relaxed and same as rest of the country but we came to know that the education scenario here is different from the rest of the sates, said NISA president Kulbhushan Sharma in a press conference in Srinagar.
Sharma, while explaining the issue said, Nowhere in India Class 8 Board examination is held by a government body as it is a domain of private schools, but it only conducted in Kashmir, Sharma said.
They expressed regret that the government had decided such a policy unilaterally saying that it needs to be discussed with all stakeholders for final decision.
The representatives urged government to address this issue and treat Class 7-9 as foundation course for a child without any government interruption.
It is this foundation that helps a child to be able to compete in national exams, they said.
The educational experts who are on a visit to Kashmir said, Committee for fixation of fee structure of private educational institutions is also nowhere found in rest of the states.
Its the not the responsibility of a Judge to check the school fee, Government should immediately dissolve the committee, Sharma said.
They said that as per Supreme Court Guidelines a private school has a right to increase fee by 10 to 15 percent and beyond that it needs permission from fee committee.
The representatives further said that there is no logic behind getting building safety certificate annually from the government.
When a building is made it is for 30- 40 years, how can a building be unsafe in a year, government should immediately review their policies towards private schools, other representatives said.
Regarding Private Schools, the experts said that they are providing one of the best educational services in the state and government needs to recognise their contributions.
The representatives praised the private education sector in Kashmir and said that the sector has achieved a lot of progress in challenging circumstances, although much more needs to be done.
The experts said that they felt very good to be in Kashmir and it is very different than what they had heard. All of the experts praised the progressive approach of Kashmiris in education and termed it as a key factor for succeeding in the private educational sector.
Other members who were present in the press conference include Dr Amit Chandra, Policy Advisor Centre for Civil Society- an internationally reputed think tank on education, G N Var President Private Schools Association and M Y Wani General Secretary Joint Committee of Private Schools Association.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
ACT NOW |
MONTHLY | Rs 100 | |
YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |