KV Correspondent

Broken promises: Legislators failed to improvise on education sector

Broken promises: Legislators failed to improvise on education sector
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Did not contribute a single penny from CDF for betterment of schools

Srinagar: Despite the passage of over three years, the much hyped initiative taken by education department to adopt government schools has failed to take off. The failure of the government has also exposed the legislators in Kashmir who had committed to donate funds towards one school each in their respective constituencies.
The initiative was taken in 2015 by the school education department wherein it was decided that each legislator including MLA and ministers in the state will adopt one government school and provide funds for its infrastructural up gradation.
“But the legislators didn’t donate a single penny out of their CDF for up gradation of exiting government schools,” an official in education department said.
He said the commitment made by the MLAs was only a political move to impress their voters.
“It was a good initiative for overall development of education sector in the state but it didn’t work here,” the official said.
It may be recalled that the former education minister Syed Muhammad Altaf Bukhari during his speech on grants for the education department in Jammu had stated that the legislators should rise above politics and contribute their bit to the education sector.
The legislators from ruling as well as opposition parties responded with thumping desks and hinted to contribute from their CDF towards the education sector.
“But when it comes to reality, these MLAs showed least priority towards education sector,” the official said.
He said the MLAs and other political leaders show their interest in getting their near ones transferred from one place to another as per their convenience but don’t show any concern towards the upliftment of the education sector.
“All these years the department saw political interference from the MLAs in transfers and other issues but not in any of the positive initiatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, a legislator admitted that they didn’t contribute their CDF funds to any schools as people in their constituencies show concern towards other development issues.
“When people come to meet us, they don’t demand any development for schools but their demands remain confined to construction of drains, fencing and bridges,” said a legislator who wished not to be named.
Pertinently, the former minister for education, Naeem Akhtar in 2015 had urged all the legislators too show ownership towards government schools so as to bring some accountability in their functioning but the legislators looked the other way.
Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK) refused to comment on the issue but was quick to add that the department has taken various initiatives towards infrastructural as well as academic up gradation of government schools from its available budget.
“Side by side, we are getting financial assistance under various centrally sponsored schemes for overall up gradation of schools from primary to higher secondary level,” he added.


KV Correspondent

Kashmir Correspondent cover all daily updates for the newspaper

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