Govt demands certificate from CEOs, ZEOs

Srinagar, July 15: Amid the mounting complaints about the shortage of JKBOSE prescribed textbooks in schools, the Jammu and Kashmir government has asked all the Chief Education Officers (CEOs) and Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) to submit signed certificates that there is no shortage of textbooks in schools.

The decision was taken recently after the officials of JK Board of School Education (BOSE), in a meeting, claimed that they have delivered 100 percent textbooks to zonal offices and there was no shortage of textbooks in schools. A review meeting of the School Education Department (SED) was chaired by the advisor to J&K Lieutenant Governor (LG) Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar recently wherein the complaints about the shortage of textbooks was discussed as well.

An official said that the JKBOSE officials present in the meeting were pulled up by the Government for their failure to deliver 100 percent textbooks in schools. "The JKBOSE officials however claimed that they have achieved 100 percent target in distribution of textbooks and there was no shortage as on date," the official said. The official who was present in the review meeting however said that the JKBOSE officers put the blame on schools saying that they delivered the textbooks but there was an increase in the demand from schools.

Notably, Greater Kashmir newspaper carried a series of stories highlighting the failure of JKBOSE in timely distribution of textbooks in schools. The schools faced shortage of textbooks despite the assurances given by Chairman JKBOSE Prof Parikshat Singh Manhas, earlier, that all the textbooks will be delivered in schools by April month.

But contrary to it, the shortage of textbooks persisted in schools till July month. On June 27 of 2024, the JKBOSE stated that the additional requirement of textbooks shall be supplied 'at the earliest', as the JKBOSE has "adequate stock" of almost all the titles available at the Board.

Meanwhile, the official said that the CEOs and ZEOs will have to submit a certificate which will verify that there is no shortage of JKBOSE textbooks in any of the schools. "The government has taken serious note of the issue. The certification process will help us to identify the ground reality," the official said. Talking to Greater Kashmir, advisor to J&K Lieutenant Governor (LG) Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar said that he convened a review meeting of the School Education Department (SED) and has asked all the ZEOs an CEOs to submit their signed certificates authenticating that all the textbooks have been distributed to the students level.

"I am waiting for their report which is expected to be submitted in one week. If there is any pendency in it, they will probably resolve the issue by the time they submit the certificates," Bhatnagar told Greater Kashmir.