Jammu, Mar 12: Despite initiating reforms to improve quality of education, School Education Department has failed to do away with zero pass percentage in the state’s Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools.
 As many as 293 schools (high and higher secondary), mostly from twin capital cities of the state, have the dubious distinction of ending up with zero percent results during 2008-09 to 2010-11.
 The number of schools which got zero percentage has alarmingly increased during the past 2-years, if one conducts an in-depth study of department’s own statistics.
 In Jammu province, 54 schools including 46 secondary and eight 10+2 showed zero percent result in 2008 while in 2009 this number shot up to 64 (43 at secondary level and 21 at 10+2 level). The number of schools showing dismal performance (zero percentage) rose to 70 in 2010 with 56 schools at class 10th level and 14 at class 12th.
 In the winter zone of Jammu region, 42 high schools registered zero percent results in class 10th while six Higher Secondary Schools failed to open their account in results in the same standard in 2010.
 Similarly, 57 schools (both government and private sectors) ended with zero percent results in Kashmir Valley during 2008-09 to 2010-11.
 The statistics suggest that 15 government schools and 6 private schools of Kashmir registered zero percent results in Class 10th in the year of 2008 while five government institutions failed to register pass percentage in Class 12th.
 It further suggests that 21 government schools and 5 schools in Kashmir got zero percentage at class 10th in 2009 while 2 schools did not see any pass percentage at Class 12th during this year.
 In 2010, five schools got zero percentage in Class 12th examinations in Valley.
 Meanwhile, as many as 3837 schools are functioning in rented accommodations across the state. Of these, 3339 schools are alone operating from rented buildings in  the Kashmir Valley.
 Interestingly, cash-strapped state government has paid Rs 1191.13 lakh as rent during 2008-09 to 2010-11.
 In a written reply to the question of BJP MLA Chaman Lal Gupta, the education department said 498 schools comprising 414 Primary Schools, 66 Middle Schools, 15 High Schools and 3 Higher Secondary Schools are functioning in rented accommodations while in Kashmir a total of 3339 schools including 2614 Primary Schools, 670 Middle Schools, 52 High Schools and 3 Higher Secondary Schools still are without their own buildings.
 The government has paid Rs 195.76 lakh as rent during the last two years and the current financial year for schools buildings in Jammu region while the rent paid for schools accommodations in Kashmir Valley touches a whopping Rs 995.37 lakh during this period.
 To another query, the Department claimed that there is no shortage of Urdu and Hindi teachers in some schools of Jammu and Kashmir.
 Since General Line teachers are appointed on basis on merit and RET pattern there is no preference for language as no subject-wise teachers are being appointed.
 The department said that Urdu and Hindi teachers are being provided in Jammu division by means of internal arrangement and institutional arrangement where students opt for these subjects as second language

Lastupdate on : Sat, 12 Mar 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 12 Mar 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 13 Mar 2011 00:00:00 IST