J&K’s abandoned school buildings a stark reminder of education sector neglect

Srinagar, Nov 27: Hundreds of school buildings have been left abandoned in the J&K School Education Department (SED) with no watch and ward from the competent authorities.

These buildings were approved to strengthen the school infrastructure across J&K.

These buildings are lying now unattended across Kashmir while the construction has been left mid-way by the concerned contractor or the buildings have not been handed over to the Education Department even after the construction work was completed.

An official said crores of rupees have been utilised by the department under centrally-sponsored schemes for construction purposes but these buildings have not been utilised so far, defeating the sole purpose of the strengthening of the school infrastructure.

“These buildings were sanctioned and approved under the erstwhile Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) schemes to strengthen the school infrastructure. However, the construction work on these buildings was not completed due to many reasons. Presently, these buildings have been left abandoned,” the official said.

Another official said that the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL), Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India (GoI), during the pre-Samagra Shiksha period (before 2018-19), approved various school buildings under the centrally-sponsored scheme RMSA and SSA for upgradation and strengthening of school infrastructure.

The official said that the construction of these buildings was entrusted to different executing agencies including Village Education Committees (VECs) and the Public Works (R&B) Department.

“The PW(R&B) Department and Village Education Committees executed and completed various buildings, whereas some buildings have been left abandoned for different reasons,” he said.

The official said that the work on various school buildings was left mid-way due to cost escalation as the project was not completed on time.

“There was a set deadline fixed for the completion of the school buildings but work on several buildings was not completed in a bound manner which resulted in cost escalation,” the official said.

He said that the extra funds needed to complete the buildings were not provided which resulted in a complete halt in the pending construction of the school buildings.

The official said some of the buildings faced an inordinate delay in the execution of the construction work due to land disputes between different parties while in some cases there was no land available for the construction of these buildings as well.

“So, in many cases, the delayed construction of work also proved costly and the buildings were not completed on time. Also, projects could not be completed within the approved cost due to the change of schedule of rates of the PW(R&B) department,” the official said.

Hundreds of these school buildings are lying unattended at a time when the school education department is facing a crisis in providing adequate classroom facilities to the students in schools.

Greater Kashmir carried a series of stories on the lack of basic accommodation in schools wherein the students of more than two classes are crammed in one single room.

The accommodation crisis persists at a time when the SED has handed over the “surplus” school buildings to other government departments to put them under use.

These buildings were spared after around 4400 schools were merged with nearby schools for having meagre or zero enrolment of students.

Amid this, the SED is facing a major challenge of accommodation crisis in schools.

The education minister earlier also acknowledged the infrastructural gaps in the education sector saying that the steps will be taken to fill these gaps.

“Samagra Shiksha does not allow the execution of projects over and above the approved cost. The project has to be completed within the approved cost,” the official said.

He said that some of the works had been completed with the Gap funding, under UT Capex, PRI BDC and DDC grants.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, Project Director Samagra Shiksha J&K, Rakesh Magotra said that the department was in the process of conducting a fresh survey and estimation of these abandoned school buildings through the Chief Education Officers (CEO) and Public Works (R&B) Department.

“The exercise will be done to ascertain the factual position and requirement of funds (work wise) to complete these abandoned school buildings keeping in view the strength of structure & Enrollment of the School,” Project Director Samagra Shiksha told Greater Kashmir.