Financial conditions not suitable for Govt to upgrade schools as of now: Education Minister
Srinagar, Mar 26: The School Education Department has no financial resources required for the upgradation of the existing schools to their higher level. As per the official documents, the J&K government is not in a situation to arrange the required financial resources for up gradation of the schools "given the financial position of J&K at present."
As per the official documents, the SED has received demands for up gradation of various schools from Budgam district including Middle School (MS) mazhama, Government MS Kanihama, MS Rassu, MS Charangam, SK Pora, Ratson and Aripathan. "The department is presently focusing on creation of required infrastructure and providing staff to all the schools, especially the upgraded ones," the official document reads. This newspaper earlier reported that scores of scores of Master Grade positions were lying vacant in high schools particularly in those schools which were upgraded in the past years under the erstwhile RMSA scheme.
These schools were upgraded from middle to high school level or from high school to higher secondary level and the government did not provide the adequate staff to these schools. The department created a few positions of the masters along with the non teaching posts in these schools upgraded under RMSA scheme. “But the department later did not post any non-teaching staff in these schools and also kept the Master posts vacant as well,” an official told Greater Kashmir. Meanwhile, owing to the dearth of financial resources, the education minister earlier informed the Legislative Assembly that SED has no immediate proposal for the upgradation of schools; a large number of schools have already been upgraded.
"The education department is facing shortage of teaching staff as no recruitments of teachers could be made for the last five years due to freezing of posts of General Line teachers vide Sac decision of 2018," the official document reads. As per the official documents, the up-gradation of schools involves huge financial implications for creation of infrastructure and- posts of teaching staff which requires concurrence from the finance department. "Given the financial position of J&K at present it is not possible to arrange the required financial resources for upgradation purposes," it reads. The department has prescribed criteria and norms for up gradation of the schools to their next level. "As and when the department proposes up gradation of schools, the up gradation of schools of Budgam district will be considered," the education minister earlier informed the Assembly.
