Re-opening of Colleges and Schools is though a good omen for the future of education in Jammu & Kashmir like many states and union territories of the country but the reports about controversial announcements on transport services by certain private schools and alleged misconduct of a Principal of a Government run Srinagar School are sufficient enough to indicate that education in Kashmir is not opening up on a happy note. Though Director School Education Kashmir suspended the Principal of a Srinagar School for his alleged misconduct on the day Ist of the reopening of schools and directed the concerned Chief Education Officer to hold an inquiry for fixing the responsibility on the Principal for alleged misconduct but what matters is the sense of responsibility and accountability the teachers particularly head of the school should demonstrate in discharge of their duties within and outside the schools as the conduct and behaviour of a teacher consequently influences the conduct and behaviour of the students also . Though at time bound inquiry to fix the responsibility for the purposes of an exemplary punishment to the Principal is a welcome move but unless and until decisions to generate sense of responsibility and accountability among teachers are not announced and implemented no course correction can change the conduct and behaviour of the teachers within and outside the schools. Unfortunately the private schools managements are more irresponsible and unaccountable than the teachers and heads of government run schools as they on the very first day of reopening of schools started hiking bus fee without the consent and approval of the Fee Fixation Committee For Private Schools (FFRC) a statutory body established by the Jammu & Kashmir Government to regulate the fee structure of private schools.
While the Government initiated a strong action against the principal of a Government School in Srinagar for alleged misconduct and the decision was welcomed by people of all shades and opinions, even a simple notice was not issued to private schools for unauthorisedly either hiking the bus fee or issuing directives to parents to bring their wards in private and passenger vehicles without the consent and approval of the fee fixation committee for private schools and questions are asked on this count by both the parents and as well students across Kashmir. The bigger question arise that when would the pristine glory of responsibility and accountability be restored in the educational institutions of Jammu & Kashmir.
Reports about private schools either hiking the bus fee or issuing directives to parents to bring their wards in private and passenger vehicles on the very first day of the reopening of schools shows that there is no dead end to non stop exploitation of both the students and parents in private schools. While issues of transport services did not arise in missionary private schools, the highly objectionable decisions on transport services were reported from most of the private schools. While the Government initiated a strong action against the principal of a Government School in Srinagar for alleged misconduct and the decision was welcomed by people of all shades and opinions, even a simple notice was not issued to private schools for unauthorisedly either hiking the bus fee or issuing directives to parents to bring their wards in private and passenger vehicles without the consent and approval of the fee fixation committee for private schools and questions are asked on this count by both the parents and as well students across Kashmir. The bigger question arises that when the pristine glory of responsibility and accountability would be restored in the educational institutions of Jammu & Kashmir.
