Early Times Report
JAMMU, July 11: On the name of rationalizing, the Education Department is all set to close down more than 1300 schools in Jammu division while the ruling BJP is maintaining a criminal silence over this move.
According to the sources, an exercise in this regard has been almost completed and a formal order for closing down these schools is likely to be issued within days.
To befool the Jammu people, the entire exercise of closing down this big number of schools is being done under the garb of rationalizing existing resources of the School Education Department aimed at ensuring optimum benefit to the students and improving quality of education.
Under the rationalization, the Directorate of School Education is learnt to have identified more than 1300 Government schools in Jammu province, which will be closed down by shifting their students and the teaching staff to the nearby schools, sources explained.
Of these schools, which are being closed down, 334 are in Jammu district, 158 in Samba district, 347 in Kathua, 123 in Kishtwar, 26 in Ramban, 159 in Rajouri, 162 in Reasi, 189 in Doda, 130 in Poonch and 264 in Udhampur.
While this entire exercise is being done on the name of rationalizing resources for benefitting students, one fails to understand how this Government is helping the poor students by closing down such a big number of schools. Further, the Government has already made it clear that no school would be upgraded till the rationalization exercise is completed.
The closing down of more than 1300 schools in Jammu would not only severely affect the poor students, who are getting the primary education there but also hit the very concept of education to all for which the Government of India has launched a series of initiatives, such as mid day meal and opening of new schools under SSA, EVM schemes etc.
Ironically, the ruling BJP, which was given unprecedented mandate from Jammu region, has been maintaining a criminal silence over the Government move. The party leaders privately admit that Jammu is being discriminated in respect of all fields but they have no courage to speak against the same. |
