J&K Admin and J&KPSA agree: Parents to pay fees; schools to pay salaries

ZT NEWS NETWORK

Srinagar: The representatives of all Private Schools from Kashmir and Jammu divisions under the banner JK Education Chamber (JKEC) today met the Principal Secretary School Education Dr Asghar Samoon wherein both sides held a wide variety of discussions on the issues facing the education sector.

The school representatives informed Dr Samoon about the difficulties faced by the schools during the present circumstances.

“We told them how the situation has been bad especially for education sector since August last year when Kashmir was first put under lockdown and then COVID-19 spread necessitated lockdown,” said a spokesperson of JKEB.

Dr Samoon while listening to the school representatives assured them of full help in redressing all of their genuine issues. It was decided that schools will collect fee from students to pay for the salary of the teaching and non-teaching staff. However for students whose income has been badly impacted by the situation, the government will explore the possibility of providing financial support to the parents in consultation with various quarters. The move will benefit both students and schools, especially working on low budgets.

Dr Samoon directed the schools to provide salary to entire teaching and non-teaching staff, so that the impact on their families is minimised during the lockdown period. He said that the salary of teaching and non-teaching staff should constitute the first component of fee collected from students.

Furthermore, Dr Samoon said that all schools will continue to hold online classes to compensate for the losses during the lockdown period.

Dr Samoon asked the schools to identify five staff members from their schools who will be given special passes to reach the school to staff office work and ensure continuity of online classes.

Dr Samoon assured the school representatives that a gradual reform will be brought in the education sector for the benefit of entire society. He said that to reduce corruption and red tapism, government will implement the order of 2004 to grant permanent registration certificate to private schools.

The two sides also discussed the ways in which the delivery of schools can be enhanced in the current times. Dr Samoon said that the career of students be it from private school or government school is of utmost importance and schools should utilise all possible resources to shape the same.

Private Schools were represented by G N Var and Showkat Mohamnad Choudhary