Srinagar, May 7: Mocking at the education monitoring system in Jammu and Kashmir, several ‘dubious’ Elementary Teaching Training (ETT) institutes are flourishing under the patronage of J&K State Board of School Education (BOSE).
While Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the Education portfolio, is emphasizing on providing quality education in the state, the BOSE officials are allegedly playing contradictory role by giving affiliation to allegedly fake and dubious ETT institutes.
Official records reveal that 500 ETT institutes exist in the state with more than 430 in Jammu province particularly in Jammu and Kathua districts in scant regard for rules and regulations laid by the government. Some months ago the credentials of several of these institutes was questioned by BOSE, pointing fingers towards the role of its officials.
It claimed that 51 ETT institutes were non-traceable or locked. “It is notified for the information of all concerned that following Elementary Teacher Training Schools were not traceable, or their buildings were found locked. In this context, promoters of these institutes/schools are provided final opportunity to get academic inspections of their institutes by the designated teams of Board of School Education before 28 November 2011,” reads the notice (ETTC-Acad-Insp/2011-13)B/JD/2011 issued by the BOSE dated 23-11-2011.
Well placed sources told that ETT has become a money minting business for the officials of BOSE, who get their share for affiliations from ETT owners as well on admissions.
“BOSE has given affiliations to these institutes without looking whether they have put in place the required infrastructure and teaching staff. Although, according to the rules, BOSE officials have to conduct mandatory inspection of these institutes, but gave affiliations blindly for personal motives,” they said.
Insiders in BOSE reveal that this organized business is run by a top official of BOSE in connivance with his two Jammu-based subordinates.
As per the rules governing the functioning of ETT institutes, each institute with a capacity of 120 students should have five rooms while those having 150 students should have six rooms. In addition, each institute should have a multipurpose hall, library room, reading room, laboratory, computer laboratory, principal room, staff room and two office rooms.
The rules say that there should be a principal, 10 teachers and six non-teachings staff members for single institute.
“There is no compliance to the rules vis-à-vis infrastructure requirement. Nobody else than hierarchy of BOSE is responsible for this problem. Hardly any institute has required facilities,” they said.
The sources, added that the ETT institutes reportedly offer admission to students via BOSE on an assurance that they need not attend classes.
“This is creating an impression outside the state that diplomas, degrees are sold against money in J&K,” said an official wishing anonymity. “Let there be fair investigation in mushrooming of ETT institutes and those officials involved in devaluing educational qualifications taken to task,” he added.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 7 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 7 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 8 May 2012 00:00:00 IST