JAMMU: Minister for Education, Social Welfare, Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo, today held an extensive interaction with representatives of the Private School Association and Parents Association at the Civil Secretariat here to deliberate on pressing issues concerning the functioning of educational institutions and the welfare of students.
Additional Chief Secretary, Higher Education and Chairman JKBOSE Shantamanu; Secretary School Education, Ram Niwas Sharma; Project Director, Samagra Shiksha, Bhawani Rakwal; Director School Education Kashmir, Naseer Ahmad Wani; Director School Education Jammu, Naseem Javid Chowdhary; Secretary JKBOSE, Ghulam Hassan Sheikh; office bearers of Fee Fixation Regulation Commission, other senior officers of School Education and Higher Education departments were also present on the occasion.
During the meeting, the Education Minister held extensive discussions on matters related to school fees, academic calendars, school student safety, availability of school books, quality of education, and effective coordination between school managements and parents.
Addressing the participants, the Minister laid emphasis on ensuring transparency, accountability, and adherence to government guidelines by private schools, while safeguarding the interests of students and parents alike.
Minister Sakeena Itoo reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing quality, inclusive, and affordable education. She stressed that the welfare of students remains the top priority and made it clear that any form of exploitation or deviation from prescribed norms would not be tolerated.
The Minister called upon the Secretary School Education to frame a committee to deal with the pressing issue of availability of books in schools. She also called for constant surveillance in markets to check unauthorised selling of books which do not form under the prescribed curriculum of JKBOSE.
During the interaction, the representatives of Parents Association flagged various issues like arbitrary fee hikes, annual charges, books from private publishers despite government books available, transport charges and other related issues. They also demanded representation of patents association while making any decisions regarding fee hikes or related matters. They urged the government to strengthen monitoring mechanisms to prevent arbitrary practices and ensure a student-friendly learning environment.
The Minister assured them that their concerns would be examined in detail and appropriate measures would be taken in consultation with all stakeholders.
She directed the concerned officers of the Education department to closely monitor the implementation of existing regulations and to maintain regular engagement with parents association to address grievances promptly.
The representatives of the Private Schools Association also raised various issues before the Minister and sought their timely redressal. They demanded a swift NOC process and registration procedure.
The Minister assured them that these issues would be addressed promptly. She directed officers to facilitate low-budget schools, and a collaborative approach should be established to resolve their issues in a time-bound manner.
