Riyaz Bhat
Srinagar : At least 70 per cent of government elementary schools in Jammu and Kashmir are functional without three subject teachers—thus taking a toll on quality education and functioning of the institutions.
The government has said there were 70 per cent of Government Upper Primary Schools in Jammu and Kashmir wherein three subject teachers are not available as per Right to Education (RTE) Act.
The official document available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) revealed that the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has asked the JK authorities to focus on these and other relevant issues.
“Indicators requiring more focus are on the percentage of primary schools with a single teacher and percentage of primary and upper primary schools meeting headteacher norms as per RTE,” the documents read.
Earlier, the Department of School Education and Literacy of MHRD in a Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) has stated that in JK’s at least 2230 government schools, only a single teacher was posted till 2018-19.
The UDISE report also stated that at least 480 government-run schools in Jammu and Kashmir were functioning without teaching staff till the academic year 2018-19.
The MHRD has also asked the education department to focus on the percentage of upper primary schools meeting norms of subject teachers as per RTE norms.
The central government also directed the JK authorities to focus on the UT’s budget share. “Percentage of UT budget share spent on education to total UT budget and the average number of days taken by the UT government to release total central share of funds to societies,” it reads—(KNO)
