The commencement of new academic session and prevailing winters in Valley has put the spotlight on dilapidated educational institutions in Srinagar city, which are either unsafe or running from shabby rented buildings.
Even if the state government is making tall claims of taking education sector to new heights, much needs to be done to strengthen the sector on grassroots level.Around 332 Government educational Institutions including 184 Primary Schools (PS), 121 Upgraded Primary Schools (UPS), 25 High Schools (HS) and two Higher Secondary Schools are operating from rented buildings which sans all basic facilities, causing inconvenience to the students.
Officials said the department was facing “hiccups” in acquisition of land to provide proper accommodation to these schools with basic facilities in the buildings.
“These rented schools are functioning in congested areas in rented buildings due to non availability of land,” officials said, adding that the rationalization process and amalgamation of hundreds of schools couldn’t resolve the ‘whole’ issue.
Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK) Dr. Shah Faesal said the non availability of land has become a major issue for the department to provide facilities in the schools, particularly up to primary standard. “We could have constructed these school buildings but lack of space in Srinagar city is making it difficult,” Faesal said.
He said the department has initiated various steps to bring reforms in the education sector but ‘non availability of land has become a hurdle. “For new sessions we will locally align heating systems for the schools facing huge inconveniences.”
Already, the new session has started in the first week of November in the schools up to 7th standard, but these schools are functioning without any proper heating arrangements.
Chief Education Officer (CEO), Srinagar Arif Iqbal Malik however informed that the schools functioning in rented buildings were ‘no different’ from the schools operating in owned buildings.
“We have heating arrangements available at all government schools. The schools can’t work without heating arrangements,” he said, adding that the department has provided funds to all these rented schools to make arrangements for heating facilities in these schools.
