Srinagar, June 4: The School Education department Friday censured all the Chief Education Officers (CEOs) for poor implementation of the orders and circular instructions of the administrative department in government as well as private schools.
A circular issued by the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) said that no monitoring cells headed by the deputy CEOs had been constituted in the districts, resulting in poor implementation of the directions issued by the administrative department and the School Fee Fixation Committee (SFFC).
“The circular instructions were passed under circular No DSEK/GS/Circular/ 1298-1307 dated 18 November 2017 followed by another circular No DSEK/GS/908-92I dated 14 July 2018 with regard to implementation of orders issued from time-to-time. Special cells in the offices of the CEOs headed by Deputy CEOs were constituted,” the DSEK circular reads.
It said that the private educational institutions were not implementing the orders passed by the administrative department as well as SFFC.
“No special cells in the districts have been constituted till date resulting in non-submission of monitoring report as were required,” the circular reads.
Notably, the circular has been issued a day after the J&K Education Chamber (JKEC) opposed the government’s move of reducing the screen time of the students for holding online classes.
The administrative department has issued guidelines regarding the conduct of virtual classes in J&K during the lockdown period of COV1D-19 pandemic for session 2020-21.
“This office subsequently forwarded the instructions of the Administrative Department to all Chief Education Officers for strict adherence of the guidelines by the concerned authorities and heads of the institutes in government and private schools,” the circular reads.
In the circular instructions issued, the DSEK has instructed all the CEOs to ensure implementation and strict adherence of the orders issued from time-to-time in letter and spirit.
“The complaints lodged against the private schools should be registered and redressed in the special cells constituted for redressal of grievances of the complainant in a time-bound manner,” the circular reads.
The CEOs have been directed to share the action taken report with the directorate on a weekly basis on priority through email.
The School Education Department and the private schools are at loggerheads over the reduction of screen time of students for online classes.
The J&K Education Chamber, an amalgam of all the private school associations of J&K on Thursday asked the government not to take any hasty decision about the conduct of online classes.
The statement came two days after the government framed the guidelines for online classes with directions to the schools to put a cap on screen time.
The guidelines were framed after a 6-year-old student in a video complained that small school-going children were overburdened by schools with assignments and other homework.
The private school body opposed the government decision to reduce the screen time for online classes saying that conducting online classes for half an hour to an hour would not serve any purpose for the students.