Education on Hold | SED acknowledges land issues with private schools, assures safeguarding students’ career

Srinagar, Dec 16: Amid the massive outcry, the School Education Department (SED) Saturday acknowledged land issues of several private schools even as it assured that the department would ensure safeguarding the career of the students.

Responding to the Greater Kashmir newspaper story which highlighted the key concerns of the students, the SED said that the registration process for private schools was conducted transparently and by the established guidelines and regulations.

“We are committed to fostering a positive and conducive environment for education and any suggestion of denying registration to private schools or for registration of students appearing in the examination goes against the laid down procedure,” the SED said.

However, the department said that there were certain modalities, as per the established law that were to be adhered to by the school authorities before seeking registration and extension of registration.

“One such modality was brought into force by S O 177 of 2022 which required the school authorities to furnish a certificate regarding land title or lease deed, as the case may be, upon which the school is established. The S O also provide for de-recognising only those schools and taking over the management of such schools which fail to produce the requisite land title certificate,” the SED said.

The department said that the aggrieved of the provisions of S O 177 of 2022, various school authorities filed different writ petitions before the High Court of J&K and Ladakh and the court in these matters had passed different directions including an order to maintain the status quo.

“The issue regarding registration of students was also raised by certain schools in 2022 and to protect and save the interest and academic career of students, the SED filed a civil miscellaneous petition before the High Court praying for tagging of students to the nearest school, pending final consideration of the writ petitions, for allowing the students to appear in the exams, so that their academic career is not compromised,” the SED said.

The department said that the High Court was “pleased enough” to allow tagging of students to the nearest schools and accordingly the students who were facing the issue were allowed to sit in the examination.

The SED has also referred to the operative part of the order passed by the High Court of J&K and Ladakh in CM No 6981/2022 in WP (C) No 1465/ 2022 which states: “Z A Qureshi, would fairly submit that without prejudice to the grievances projected in the petition as also the rights and interests available to the petitioner-institution since the interim order passed by this court, the non-applicant petitioner institution will not stand in the way of the students if they have been tagged with other educational institutions by the applicants or official respondents herein for enabling them to appear in the ensuing examination of 10th, 11th and12th classes.”

Referring to the High Court order, the department said the same issue was being raised again this year and the department is “serious enough” to ensure that no compromise is made with the academic career of the students.

“It will be ensured that no student is restrained from appearing in the examination for want of Registration Return Form Facility to the concerned school keeping into consideration the Rule of Law and the directions passed by the High Court in this regard,” the SED said.