Budgam: With half of the academic session nearing an end, two government middle schools in district Budgam are yet to receive the text books.
Students at Government Boys Middle School (BMS) and Girls Middle School (GMS) Budgam are without textbooks since November, 2017, the time when the new academic session started.
Baring few, twenty four students enrolled in 8th standard at BMS were not given Math, Urdu, History, Civics and Kashmiri books. In 7th class, most of the students do not have History, Science, and Urdu and Civics books. “We don’t have books to study,” the students complained.
Only few students have managed to get the textbooks by collecting them from the students who have been promoted to next classes.
Dozens of students from far flung areas, who are staying at Gujjar and Bakerwal hostel, of Kupwara, Ganderbal, Shopian, Pulwama, Khansahib, Doodhpathri and Kachwari are studying in the Boys Middle School Budgam.
“Every evening we sit together to read from one or two books and do our homework,” the students of BMS said.
While regretting his admission in Budgam, a student from Doodhpathri said, “I came to Budgam for better education, but I was not knowing that it is worst than Doodhpathri.”
Teachers at BMS said that shortage of books was not their fault. “We have approached concerned Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) several times, but our pleas were ignored,” they added.
Pertinently, textbooks up to 8th standard in government educational institutions are provided free of cost by the education department.
The situation of Girls Middle School is not different from Boys Middle School. A group of students at GMS told Kashmir Images that not even a single student of 8th standard has Math book. “Students in 7th and 6th classes are also without Science books. Other classes are also with insufficient textbooks,” said the students.
“Our exams are approaching and we are without books,” they added.
Interestingly, the tall claims of government for promoting Kashmiri language seems to have fallen flat in Budgam, as the students enrolled in First and 8th standards were not provided Kashmiri books here.
Teachers here said that they never get full quota of study material from the concerned department. “It has become a routine now. Every year we face shortage of textbooks. We had forwarded list of requirement but didn’t receive the full quota,” they said.
Head Master, GMS, Sukhbir Singh admitted that students were not provided books. “Around 33 percent of students are without books. They could not buy the same from shops as most among them belong to poor families,” he added.
Meanwhile, Joint Secretary, Publications, Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education, Arif Ahmed Akhoon, told Kashmir Images that “under proper receipt” department has distributed 100 percent books to Budgam schools.
“As per the requirement, we supplied each and every book to the concerned Chief Education Officer (CEO) by December 15, 2017,” he said adding maybe there is a problem with the distribution from the CEO side.
However, CEO Budgam, Rouf Ahmad Shahmari, could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.
Zonal Education Officer, Budgam, Samiya Geelani, said that she has recently joined here. “We have books available, but I was informed by officials that they have already distributed.”
