The school education department earlier this month issued an order for auctioning of all dilapidated school buildings in all districts. The instructions were issued to all Chief Education Officers (CEOs) to complete the process in one week and submit the action taken report to the directorate.
The contents of the order depict the seriousness of the department in ensuring the safety of the school children in government educational institutions. But the latest order on the subject reminded me of various such circular instructions and orders issued by the department from time to time.
As a commoner, I believe that the basic motive of issuing such orders is to ensure safety of the school children, and the staff using these buildings. But it is ironic that the department always forgets the proper implementation of these orders, at the end leaving the lives of students and the staff at risk.
Some two years ago a circular was issued by the Director School Education Kashmir in 2018 instructing all CEOs, Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs), Higher Secondary School Principals and Headmasters to get the audit done within 45 days in consultation with respective district administrations. It was not for the first time that such an attempt was made by the department but a similar order was issued in November 2017 by the administrative department but the order was silently shelved. Nobody knows the fate of both the orders which were issued by the department.
It was the responsibility of the government to collect the details of the unsafe school buildings (if any) in the Valley. Basically, these orders and circulars are issued as an eye wash when questions are raised over safety of the children in the government schools.
The government has earlier admitted that around 50 percent of school buildings are in “semi-dilapidated” conditions in J&K and most of the time students take classes under open sky due to lack of accommodation.
But the department seems to be always in a rush to issue these orders which are never implemented on ground and students continue to use these same dilapidated buildings. Having said this, one cannot deny that the school education department in past few years has really done a tremendous job by constructing new buildings for the schools which were without permanent accommodation since their establishment. But on the other hand the department cannot ignore the fact that there are more than 23000 schools in J&K including 10789 in the Valley alone.
Now coming to the point which department needs to address at an earliest, keeping in view the public interest. The department has around 800 school buildings which have been abandoned for the last five years. Their construction cost the state exchequer crores of rupees. But for the past five years these 800 school buildings have been lying abandoned after the school education department clubbed the existing schools across the J&K in 2015. These buildings have turned into haunted structures and in absence of watch and ward have suffered damage as well.
These buildings were left empty in 2015 after the government started the process of rationalization of schools because of having meagre or no enrolment of students in these schools.
Each of these school buildings has been constructed at a cost of around Rs 12 lakh to Rs 13 lakh. Around Rs 10 crore was spent by the government of India for establishment of these school buildings.
These buildings are neither owned by the education department for the past five years nor has the government succeeded to hand over the control of these buildings to any other department. With the result these buildings have become haven for drug addicts and other illicit activities, thus becoming a nuisance for the people living around.
Over the past few years, the department had claimed that some of these abandoned school buildings will be again put to use as the enrolment in some government schools has increased and will be shifted to their original place. But no such development was seen on ground and these buildings continue to remain abandoned.
There is another option for the government; start auctioning these 800 buildings as it has already decided to go for auction of dilapidated buildings and other stock. Most of these buildings have been constructed either at foot hills or at those locations which are not easily accessible for the public.
Time is ripe for the department to take a decision regarding these school buildings. If the government cannot auction all these school buildings it can convert these concrete structures into recreational facilities in some localities or into community centres or libraries. This can be done in convergence mode with the rural development department as the majority of these buildings are constructed in rural areas. Leaving these buildings abandoned is not good for the department. Hope good sense prevails.