Srinagar, Apr 24: Improper implementation and financial irregularities have marred several Government of India funded programs aimed at universalizing education in Jammu and Kashmir. The schemes are aimed at providing education to underprivileged, disabled and girls especially those from poor classes.

EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS (ECWSN):
Failure of the state authorities to have exact data of children with special needs and shortfall in utilization of funds under the ECWSN has deprived these children of the schooling benefits.
An official report revealed that authorities have even failed to ensure enrollment of the identified children in schools under the program. It provides for utilization of Rs 1200 annually per student to meet his/her needs for schooling.
Of 51167 such identified children in six districts - Srinagar, Pulwama, Kupwara, Doda, Rajouri, Kathua during 2006-11, only 36560 students were enrolled.
“This speaks about the improper implementation of the scheme throughout the state. Government’s failure to identify the special children and the huge deficit of more than 25 percent of the identified children not enrolled has made the initiative ineffective,” the report said.
The fund utilization, under the program, has too come under question. Against the Rs 2.72 crore allocated in the surveyed six districts during 2006-11, the expenditure incurred to meet students’ needs was only Rs 1.03 crore (39 percent of the funds).
Citing an instance, the report highlighted that in Kupwara of Rs 40 lakh received up to 2010-11 only Rs 2.09 lakh had been spent by the DIET leaving 95 percent balance unspent from 2009-10 onwards.
Of the surveyed 2961 schools only 577 schools (19 percent) had been made barrier-free for the children and of the 5018 identified students in the schools only 579 (11 percent) were provided aids and appliances despite receiving funding.

KASTURBA GHANDHI BALIKA VIDYALAS:
Despite Rs 80.55 crore funding by Government of India for construction of 79 Kasturba Ghandhi Balika Vidyalas- residential schools at the upper primary level for girls belonging to SC/ST/OBC- most of the institutions are being run in rented buildings. Besides, an unplanned execution of the scheme has resulted in “unproductive and avoidable” expenditure of Rs 9.52 crore. The scheme, part of SSA aimed at universalizing elementary education, is already under scanner for use of “sub-standard” material for building construction.
The report revealed of the 78 “functional” KGBVs in JK, 70 are housed in rented buildings. “The project director received Rs 80.55 crore during 2005-11 and undertook construction of 73 buildings at Rs 24 crore,” the report revealed. “After spending Rs 9.24 crore of the released Rs 9.77 crore during 2008-10 on 68 works, further execution was stopped.”
No steps have been taken for completion of the works and the unspent balances of Rs 52.94 lakh is lying with the in-charge junior engineers, the report highlighted. “This has resulted not only in unproductive expenditure of Rs 9.24 crore but also payment of avoidable annual rentals of Rs 27.20 lakh on rented accommodations.”
Quoting official communication between SSA and Education department authorities, Greater Kashmir had earlier reported in detail “serious lapses” in construction of the KGBV buildings during 2009 and 2010. The lapses include dilution in the type, design and estimates thereof without any approval from the competent authority.

EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION (ECCE):
Under SSA Rs 3.13 crore were released to the CEOs for the ECCE activities to meet the education needs of pre-schoolers by strengthening the existing infrastructure for pre-school education in the areas not covered under Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
However the records in the surveyed districts revealed that of the Rs 1.41 crore released by Government of India, only Rs 31 lakh had been spent, leaving Rs 1.10 crore (78 percent) unspent as on March 2011. Under the program, Rs 15 lakh are provided to each district annually to develop an integrated approach to meet the education needs of pre-schoolers.

EDUCATION OF GIRL CHILD, SC/ST CHILDREN:
To bring “out of school children” especially girls belonging to ST/SC to schools GoI provides funds for various interventions like supply of free text books, enrollment and retention drive, special course camps and bridge courses. Under the program around Rs 15 lakh per intervention per year and Rs 50 lakh in a district in a particular year can be spent.
The report mentioned that the free text books were supplied as late as four months. Besides, for increasing enrollment of the girl students through holding of different activities of the available Rs 6.58 crore only 4.04 crore were spent and the remaining (40 percent funds, Rs 2.54 crore) had gone into the saving bank accounts of CEOs.
“Despite incurring expenditure under the program state government has no data about enrollment of the girl students covered, and monitoring the attendance of the targeted group has never been done.”

NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR EDUCATION OF GIRLS AT ELEMENTARY LEVEL (NPEGEL):
A part of SSA, NPEGEL aims at providing education to under privileged girls from class 1st to class 8th under SSA. Under the scheme, primary/upper primary schools are required to be identified as Model Cluster Schools (MCSs) for development/education of girl child in a cluster of 5-10 villages.
Of the Rs 17.62 crore received by the state from 2007-11 the expenditure has been shown Rs 15.41 crore but none of the 563 MCSs set up had the facility like teaching-learning equipments, books, computers, film shows, reading materials, self defense, riding bicycles provided under the scheme. All the schools function as normal schools.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 IST