In September 2015, the state government ordered for establishment of “model schools” across Jammu and Kashmir with an aim to make education participatory and ensure holistic personality development of students.
Three years later, the order is yet to be rolled out even as the government had revised the original policy and brought down the number of schools to be covered under the much-hyped initiative. An official said the government had identified 154 government higher secondary schools- 77 each in Kashmir and Jammu divisions for their up gradation as model schools. But the scheme hit a roadblock owing to “financial crunch”, a senior official said. He said the government only changed signboard of some higher secondary schools as “model schools” to “cover up its failure”.
The government had decided to provide Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh for each school but the funds were not enough for making substantial changes in these institutions in terms of academic and infrastructural up gradation, said the official. As part of the policy, the government had decided to provide requisite funds to the schools in addition to the state plan. The government had proposed “various methods” to make the scheme a success but none of the “strategies” devised saw light of the day. The official said it was decided that additional funds will be generated through various means like utilising appropriate components under centrally sponsored schemes, getting support from private sector by way of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
“Department had also requested legislators representing the area to adopt at least one model school and support the same from their constituency development funds. Though MLAs made commitments the funds were never allotted,” the official said. The government had also decided to have an advisory committee for each model school headed by the legislator concerned who would adopt a particular school. “The concept of advisory committee was to guide the school in achieving its objectives and bring out a strategy document for the model school and its cluster with a roadmap of three years,” the official said. There were 44 criteria- 22 each for academic and infrastructure purposes, which the government had to fulfill after developing any higher secondary school as a model school.
“After designating any school as model school, government was supposed to introduce new subject streams which didn’t happen. Also, these schools didn’t see any improvement in infrastructure except introduction of smart classrooms in a few schools,” the official said. The models schools were to be focal point for monitoring quality of education in their respective clusters. All the feeding schools to the level of high schools, middle schools and primary schools were supposed to work under the supervision of the higher secondary principal.
“But this intervention didn’t work because the then government in 2015 haphazardly identified the schools for their up gradation as model schools. The scheme was expanded without having any sustainable policy,” said a principal from north Kashmir. Had the scheme been rolled out after a proper thought, around 154 model schools would have been equipped with an auditorium with smart classroom facilities, a vocational education centre, a mathematics laboratory and a language laboratory, besides a resource room for specially-abled children. “Beautification, landscaping, library with internet connectivity, sports centre like facilities were also to be provided in model schools,” the principal said. In the name of model schools a few works were undertaken in some schools. For instance authorities concerned completed the face-lifting work of an existing basketball court at Kothi Bagh higher secondary school and leveling of its ground. “This was projected as works undertaken in the name of up gradation,” said the official. Likewise other schools identified to be upgraded as model school saw minor face-lifting of available infrastructure and were then inaugurated as model schools. After the initiative failed to take off for long time, former education minister Altaf Bukhari decided to prioritise one school in each district to be designated as a model school with sustainable funding. Out of 154, only 22 higher secondary schools-12 in Kashmir and 10 in Jammu were picked under the new initiative and it was assured that adequate funding would be allotted to these institutions. Accordingly the state government allocated Rs 6 crore for the initiative in Kashmir and Rs 5 crore for Jammu region for establishment of model schools.
“But like the previous scheme this policy too remained limited to papers only,’ said the official. However a senior official said they were now expecting substantial change on ground as funds have been released for the works. “In coming three years, these schools will see academic and infrastructural development,” he said, adding the department may follow same analogy for establishment of other higher secondary schools as model schools in the districts. Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK) G N Itoo said the establishment of model schools was a continuous process and the indicators to declare the institutions as model school will be fulfilled in a phased manner. “It is an ongoing process and this year we have kept Rs 50 lakh in budget for identified school in each district of Kashmir which will be utilized for the defined purpose,” Itoo said. He said once all the parameters are fulfilled the schools will be declared as “perfect model schools”.
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