Identify Persons Who Devastated Enrollment in Govt Schools: Authorities to Officials

“Identification of officials who have brought the department to disrepute by devastating the enrollment in schools which finally ended in the merger of such schools and turned the valuable assets and infrastructure into abandoned buildings.”

SRINAGAR — Authorities have asked the concerned officials to identify the persons who have brought the department to disrepute by devastating the enrollment in government schools which finally ended in the merger of such institutions.

Chief Education Officer (CEO) Srinagar in the second week of March has constituted zonal level committees who were also directed to identify the officials responsible for leaving buildings unattended for a long time which led to their dilapidated condition.

“In the backdrop of the advisory issued by the Administrative Department, the zonal level committees shall inquire into the matter and furnish a detailed factual report in light of the instructions conveyed by the administrative department, Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB).”

The CEO said that the inquiry officers are directed to ensure the identification of school buildings that are lying vacant due to the merger of schools.

Identification of officials who have brought the department to disrepute by devastating the enrollment in schools which finally ended in the merger of such schools and turned the valuable assets and infrastructure into abandoned buildings, especially in respect of those ReTs who have been instrumental to merge such schools where the enrollment warned after their regulation, it reads.

Earlier, the Deputy Secretary to government, Umesh Sharma in an official advisory has said that he was directed to request to investigate and inquire and fix responsibility on the officials who have brought the department to disrepute by devastating the enrollment in schools.

“That finally ended in merging of such schools and turned the valuable assets and infrastructure into abandoned buildings, especially in respect of those ReTs who have been instrumental to merge such schools where the enrollment waned after their regularization, shall be treated as per law for such acts” reads the advisory.

Pertinently, enrollment in govt schools in Kashmir has declined by 2% in 2021.

Last week, the J&K government has ordered the merger of 700 government schools across J&K which have a meager enrollment of students. The decision to merge 700 schools was made following an exercise done by the School Education Department (SED) while collecting the details of government schools with meager or zero enrollment of the students.