National Conference (NC) Member of Parliament HasnainMasoodi Wednesday raised the issues confronting education sector in Jammu and Kashmir in LokSabha, seeking proper and efficient implementation of National Education Policy 2020 on ground to make benefits reach the beneficiaries.
A statement of NC issued here said that participating in a discussion on the demand of grants for education in the parliament, Masoodi expressed concern over the meager 2 percent increase in budgetary allocations for school and higher education emphasizing that the pandemic COVID-19 confronted education to new challenges. He expressed concern over the drop in enrolment and increasing dropout rates at middle and secondary and higher secondary rates.
Masoodi said the school education lacks infrastructure and adequate teaching staff and infrastructure problem impact school education in Jammu Kashmir more than elsewhere as sub zero temperatures require a better accommodation.
Depreciating the practice of using school buildings to house paramilitary forces and as quarantine centers he said, “There ought to be a provision for supply of IT gadgets to students and teachers to make digital education accessible at grassroots. The higher education continues to be inaccessible to deprived segments of society as new university campuses and new universities though announced with much fanfare are not functional to the optimum level and provide no relief the student community of the particular area. This apart the strength of faculty is far less than the minimum.”