MIAN TUFAIL
IN a decisive move to prevent disruption in students’ education, the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) has initiated an emergency merger, absorbing 60 private schools into nearby government institutions. The swift action was taken after these private institutions failed to extend their affiliation with JKBOSE, ensuring a seamless transition for students from these affected schools.
The order, issued on December 27, 2023, affects hundreds of students in the Kashmir Division. It comes as a consequence of the expiration of affiliation for many private schools in the region, coupled with what BOSE puts as their failure to submit the necessary paperwork for renewal. With their official status uncertain, these schools were at the risk of closure, leaving their students’ education in jeopardy. The government also says that some of these private schools have been illegally built upon public lands.
“The principals concerned or cluster heads, after securing necessary discharge certificates of the students concerned, shall authenticate and submit the Permission-Cum-Admission (PCA) forms of classes X to XII and renewal registration returns, as the case may be, with normal prescribed fee, as per the notifications issued by the JKBOSE Director, Academic,” the order of JKBOSE reads.
Pertinently, the private schools of the Valley mint enormous amounts of money under the guise of tuition fees and other charges from the students in order to run their echelons. It is shocking to learn that these private institutions failed in securing their affiliations with JKBOSE by paying minimal fees and other mandatory documents. The cat is out of the bag now. These private schools mean business only and their concern towards students is sheer deception. The careers of the students were at stake. When money runs high, pure intention withers away.
If the government had not taken this emergency step, the future of thousands of students would have been left in jeopardy and their education would have suffered badly. A board official, talking to Kashmir Central, says that the emergency merger is meant to safeguard the careers of students. He adds, “Our priority is to ensure that no student faces unnecessary disruptions due to the failure of private schools to renew their affiliations. This emergency merger will allow students to continue their education without any setbacks. The integration process has been designed to nearby government affiliated schools so as to minimise disruptions in the academic calendar, allowing students to seamlessly continue their studies without significant changes in their routine”.
While the emergency merger has been met with understanding, there are concerns within the affected private school communities. Talking to KC, a private school owner of Sopore feels that this merger will leave private schools high and dry and they may face decline in the admission of students. Says he, “The JKBOSE order to club private schools with the nearby government schools is set to have serious implications on the education process in Kashmir. This step could discourage parents from enrolling their children in private schools due to fears of instability”.
While the government has chalked an out-of-the-box measure of tagging these schools, there is need to address the elephant in the room. Our government institutions lack the basic infrastructure to accommodate students properly. There is a need to devise a new approach and build these schools with modern equipments and infrastructure. Although, the measure of tagging shall be temporary, the government must question private schools about their skyrocketing fees and admissions based on favoritism. Private institutions need to exhibit value-based education across the entire spectrum of the society rather than building their business mansions without caring for the basic necessities of children. Parents toil hard to enroll their wards in these schools only to safeguard their future.
While the tagging is a welcome step, the challenge before the authorities is to have a smooth transition and make government schools accommodative in realising this transition. At the end of the day, students must not suffer due to the mistakes of private players.
Some of these private institutions run on public land and fill their coffers. The failure of successive governments to wrest out the land and granting affiliations on the basis of influence and might has hampered the essence of true education in Kashmir. J&K is probably the only place where former legislators and ministers have association with these private institutions. This invisible allegiance must be exposed so that students do not suffer in the future.
JKBOSE, however, emphasises that the decision is a necessary step to protect the educational interest of the students and that the board is dedicated to working closely with all stakeholders to ensure a smooth and successful implementation of the emergency merger.
