A mid-level government-run school in the heart of downtown Srinagar functioning out of a single shabby room speaks volumes about the often neglected government education system.
Situated at Ali Kadal, the Rehbaba Sahib-(B) GovernmentMiddle School (GMS) was set up in 2005 in a rented room and a corridor as aneducation guarantee scheme (EGS) centre up to primary level under erstwhileSarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
Four years since then, no infrastructure for the school hascome up. EGS is an alternative school set up in un-served habitations with noformal school within the radius of one kilometer.
The school falls in the jurisdiction of Zaldagar educationzone, it was even upgraded to the level of middle school but without anyinfrastructure.
“This school has no facets to be called as an educationalinstitution. There is no proper seating arrangement for students. The studentsare crammed in a small room and a corridor,” said an official.
This government-run school is not the only one without basicfacilities or a permanent campus for the students.
In Zaldagar zone alone out of around 31 government-runeducational institutions in only four schools have permanent campus.
“Only three middle schools and a high school have governmentbuildings,” an official said. “Others are functioning out of rented shabby andsmall rooms.” The situation in other zones of Srinagar district is nodifferent.
Data from Unified District Information on School Education(UDISE) reveals there are 519 government schools in Srinagar district out ofwhich 308 are run from shabby rented spaces without basic facilities requiredfor an educational institution.
“We don’t get maintenance grants from ministry of humanresource development (MHRD) for the schools functioning from rentedaccommodations. There is also no provision with the department to utilise moneyfrom state budget for infrastructural upgradation in rented school spaces,” anofficial in the planning section of education department said.
Around 308 schools are craving for basic facilities at atime when the governor administration is claiming to plug infrastructural gapsin all schools across the state by the year end.
“Department has started an exhaustive exercise to equip theschools with all basic facilities but rented schools won’t be considered forit,” the official said.
Officials say the school education department has a hugeliability of unpaid rent for the schools without permanent buildings.
“Under SSA scheme, Rs1000 was fixed as monthly rent for the rented schools but the department hasnot cleared the liability since 2012. The liability has piled up into lakhs andthe building owners threaten us to lock the schools,” said a teacher at arented school in Srinagar.
According to officials, MHRD refused to release funds forrent against the schools after government failed to construct buildings for thenewly established schools.
“After approval from MHRD to establish the school under SSA,it was decided that MHRD will pay rent for two to three year until thedepartment constructs permanent building for it. But most of the schools whichwere established in 2005 or 2006 are still operating from rented buildingswhich promoted MHRD to block funds for rent,” the official said.
Recently, the department proposed to purchase residentialbuildings to accommodate rented schools but the initiative appears on the backburner. Director school education Kashmir (DSEK) Muhammad Younis Malik said thedepartment has acquired land for various schools in Srinagar and was in processof purchasing residential buildings for shifting rented schools. “The owners ofrented buildings have directions to provide drinking water and toilet facilityto the students. I will also ascertain the details of the rent liability of therented schools,” Malik said.