The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) has been in the news for several weeks, but unfortunately, not for so good reasons. A series of administrative lapses and blunders have raised serious concerns about the functioning of the board. From the denial of accepting Class 10 examination forms to brazen errors in textbooks, the negligence displayed by JKBOSE in last few weeks is alarming and demands urgent attention.
The Case of Islamic Global School Students
One of the most glaring issues that recently surfaced was the plight of 22 students from Islamic Global School, Padshahi Bagh, Srinagar. These students were left in a state of distress when they were informed that they could not appear for their Class 10 board exams due to their school’s lack of registration with JKBOSE.
The students had submitted their examination forms two months before the exams, yet JKBOSE rejected them at the last moment, citing the non-registration of their institution. This decision came as a shock to the students and their parents, who had trusted the school and the education system to ensure their academic progress.
Official records indicate that the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) had issued an order in December 2024 to link Class 9 and 10 students from the school with a nearby government institution for the academic year 2024-25. This measure was intended to ensure the continuity of their education and allow them to sit for board exams without disruption.
Following this directive, the Chief Education Officer (CEO) Srinagar communicated with JKBOSE, instructing them to process the students’ registrations through Boys Higher Secondary School (BHSS) Natipora as a special case. Despite multiple official requests from both the CEO’s office and the principal of BHSS Natipora, JKBOSE refused to process their registration.
It was only after sustained protests by the students and their parents, coupled with the intervention of Education Minister Sakina Yatoo, that JKBOSE finally relented and permitted the students to appear for their exams. This incident exposed the inefficiency and lack of coordination within the education board. It highlighted the distress and uncertainty students had to endure due to bureaucratic negligence.
Another Student Denied Exam Entry Due to Blame Game
In another unfortunate incident, a Class 10 student from Government Girls Higher Secondary School (HSS) Khanyar, Srinagar, was denied the opportunity to sit for her annual board examination due to negligence of JKBOSE. The student, identified as Toyiba Yaqoob, was not allowed to enter the examination hall on the first day of exams, as she had not received her roll number slip.
The absence of her roll number slip was reportedly due to an error on the part of the school authorities. However, instead of rectifying the mistake promptly, the JKBOSE officials did not take any corrective action, ultimately preventing the student from sitting for her examination.
The school authorities maintained that the mistake could have been fixed within a day had JKBOSE acted responsibly. Instead, rather than ensuring that a student did not suffer due to a clerical error, the board chose to adopt a rigid stance, demonstrating a lack of empathy and accountability.
Textbook Blunders
As if the previous incidents were not enough, JKBOSE found itself embroiled in another controversy—this time concerning errors in its Class 10 textbooks. A public outcry erupted after a social media user highlighted a glaring mistake in the JKBOSE Class 10 Economics textbook titled Disaster Management and Road Safety Education.
The textbook contained a misprinted sentence stating, “Unconsciousness or fainting is a UT of human body.” The intended sentence was supposed to be: “Unconsciousness or fainting is a state of the human body.”
A closer examination of the book revealed that the term ‘state’ had been incorrectly replaced with ‘UT’ (Union Territory) throughout the text, even in passages related to scientific and health-related concepts. This bizarre and careless error suggested that whoever was responsible for editing the book had performed a blanket replacement of the word ‘state’ with ‘UT’, leading to absurd and factually incorrect statements.
For instance, on pages 29 and 30 of Unit IV, the original sentence, “Unconsciousness and fainting is a state of the human body,” was altered to, “Unconsciousness and fainting is a UT of the human body.”
Moreover, there was a major mistake in the title of a passage that read, “Fainting and losing conscience.” The correct phrase should have been “Fainting and losing consciousness.” Such blatant errors in an academic textbook not only undermine the credibility of JKBOSE but also reflect poorly on the education system as a whole.
The Need for Structural Reforms
These three incidents—students being denied examination forms, an individual being barred from exams due to bureaucratic negligence, and shocking errors in textbooks—paint a disturbing picture of JKBOSE’s functioning. The shortage of textbooks in government schools is another persistent issue.
The mismanagement and inefficiency of JKBOSE are unacceptable. The board plays a critical role in shaping the academic future of students. Such repeated blunders indicate a dire need for systemic reforms.
The state of affairs at JKBOSE calls for urgent structural reforms to prevent such incidents from recurring. Officials responsible for negligence must be held accountable.
JKBOSE must acknowledge the gravity of these issues and take concrete steps to ensure that students do not have to suffer due to institutional negligence. Education is a fundamental right, and no student should have their future compromised because of inefficiency and mismanagement. The time for corrective action is now.
- Views expressed in the article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial stance of Kashmir Observer
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