Srinagar: Several Government Primary Schools in Srinagar have zero enrollment of students but have staff enjoying idleness for years together.
The functioning of these schools deflates the government claims of streamlining the lopsided Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) in schools and merging of such institutions having zero or meager enrollment of the students.
An official said the Government Primary School (PS) Watalpora situated at Rawalpora Wanbal is housed in a government-owned building for a long time.
“But the enrollment of the school remained zero since 2014-15 and the government had posted one teacher in the institution who attained superannuation a few months ago,” an official at Chief Education Officer (CEO) Srinagar told Greater Kashmir.
An official document in possession of this newspaper reveals that owing to the zero enrollment of the students, the government had shifted two other primary schools- PS Yayil and PS Parbagh in the premises of PS Watalpora.
It has been further revealed that the government posted three teachers at PS Yayil despite having no student enrolled in the institutions from 2015-2021.
“This year, some 10 to 12 students have been enrolled in the institution,” the official said.
The official document accessed from the office CEO Srinagar reveals that despite having zero enrollment of students up to 2021, the government in 2020 posted one more teacher in the institution. So the government posted teachers in the school despite having zero enrollment of students.
“These shocking cases come to fore despite the government claims of bringing reforms in the education sector and taking education to new heights,” the official said.
He said the government was aware about the condition of these schools but some teachers continue their posting in these schools.
The official said the PS Yayil has become a defunct school because of having no enrollment for years together.
“The teachers posted in the school literally sit idle with no work at all,” he said.
Another school namely PS Parbagh which was earlier operating from the same premises has 25 students and two teachers (RReT).
The school was adopted by Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) along with other standalone schools.
“These schools are looked after by the SMC,” the official said. Notably, the J&K government earlier transferred around 108 government primary schools to the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) under the 74th constitutional amendment Act.
These schools have full-fledged control and supervision of the JMC and SMC. However, the cadre control of the staff so deputed to these schools will be maintained by the school education department.
These schools include 83 from Srinagar city and 25 from Jammu city and 200 posts from Srinagar schools and 65 from schools in Jammu district.
Notably, the Chief Education Officer (CEO) Srinagar, on Tuesday ordered for utilisation of services of 68 surplus teaching staff in needy schools. However, several schools with lopsided PTR were not touched for unknown reasons.
“In the interest of administration, sanction is accorded to the utilisation of services of surplus teachers in the needy schools on deployment basis,” the order reads.
In the order, the teachers are deemed to have been relieved to join their new assignment “immediately” and shall continue to draw salary against their own substantive posts on production of monthly attendance certificate from the places they have been deployed temporarily, on need basis.
“However, no salary shall be drawn in respect of any such teacher who fails to join his/her new assignment,” the order reads.
Advisor to J&K Lieutenant Governor Rajiv Rai Batnagar when contacted said the rationalisation process of schools is going on and the concern related to these schools will be looked into.
“You forward me the names of these institutions, I will see to it,” he told Greater Kashmir.