STATE EDUCATION SECTOR GETS POOR REPORT CARD

Jammu, March 03 (Only Kashmir): There is apparently more than what meets the eye in the claims of the National Conference-led coalition government vis-à-vis its achievements in the education sector since January 5, 2009, the day when Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took over.

Official documents tabled in the state Assembly reveal that the upgradation of primary schools to the level of middle schools under the Service Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) witnessed a decline over the years. The current financial year has registered “zero performance” in upgradation of schools.

The documents state that the government had decided to upgrade 330 primary schools to the level of upper primary schools (middle schools) in 2011-12, but it couldn’t upgrade even a single institution during that period.

The government had achieved 100 per cent target for upgradation of primary schools under the SSA in 2002-03, when the scheme was launched in Jammu and Kashmir. Though the previous PDP-Congress coalition had successfully achieved its target of upgrading primary schools established under the SSA, the gap between the targeted and the achieved widened after the NC-led coalition government came into power.

“In 2009-10, the government had fixed the target of upgrading 800 primary schools but only 730 institutions were upgraded. The gap between the targeted and the achieved grew further in 2010-11 when the government upgraded only 521 primary schools against the fixed target of 863,” the document stated.

Against the fixed target of 892, the government had upgraded 886 primary schools in 2003-04, while it achieved 100 per cent target in 2004-05 when 974 such institutions were upgraded to the level of middle school.

In 2005-06, the government upgraded 640 primary schools against the target of 646, while the upgradation was nearly 100 per cent in 2006-07 when 147 out of 148 such institutions were given the status of middle school.

Similarly, out of the targeted 711 primary schools, 672 were given the status of middle school in 2007-09 and 1,485 out of 1,517 primary institutions were upgraded in 2008-09.

A top official in the education department, who wished not to be identified, said the upgradation process needed a “simple notification” from the government.

“These institutions are generally upgraded soon after the government issues a notification in this regard but this year no such notification has been issued so far,” the official said.

In the recent Economic Survey, the government said that since 2002 as many as 6,651 primary schools had been upgraded to the level of middle schools, and 330 such schools were under the process of Upgradation. (OK)