While the Jammu & Kashmir High Court has in an order on a petition of J&K Private Schools Association (PSAJK) recently directed Fee Fixation & Regulation Committee for Private Schools (FFRC) a statutory body of J&K Government to take a call on “transport charges” for students as sough by PSAJK, the Secretary School Education Department has surprisingly called a meeting of private schools with a representative of PSAJK , representatives of two private schools associations of Jammu , few owners of private schools and some officers of his own department without inviting any representative of parents association from either Kashmir or Jammu. Interestingly while the J&K Private Schools Association (PSAJK) and two such associations of Jammu do not command the support of all the six thousand private schools of Jammu & Kashmir, the Parents Association of J&K Private Schools commands the support of almost all the parents of almost all the students of private schools of Jammu & Kashmir. While the Fee Fixation & Regulation Committee for Private Schools (FFRC) recently announced 12% hike in “transport charges” for students of private schools against unauthorised 80% hike announced by the J&K Private Schools Association (PSAJK) after hearing all the stake holders including both the private schools associations and as well as the parents association, the Secretary School Education has called a meeting on issues concerning working of private schools without inviting any representative of Parents Association of Private Schools from either Kashmir or Jammu province.
Administrative wisdom demands that Secretary Schools does not take up the issue of transport charges for students of private schools at his proposed meeting with a representative of Private Schools Association Jammu & Kashmir (PSAJK), two members of two private school associations from Jammu , few owners of private schools and some officers of his department and J&K Board Of School Education (J&K BOSE) and instead leaves it to Fee Fixation & Regulation Committee for Private Schools (FFRC) to take a call on the transport charges on plea of J&K Private Schools Association (PSAJK) as directed by two judge bench of J&K High Court comprising Justice Ali Mohammad Magray and Justice Mohan Lal.
While a two judge bench of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court comprising Justice Ali Mohammad Magry and Justic Mohan Lal has left it for the Fee Fixation & Regulation Committee for Private Schools (FFRC) to take a call on the plea of J&K Private Schools Association (PSAJK) on transport charges for students in private schools, the decision of the Secretary School Education to call a meeting of private schools with a representative of Private Schools Association Jammu & Kashmir (PSAJK) , two such private schools associations from Jammu , few owners of private schools without inviting any representative of parents association from either Kashmir or Jammu goes against the spirit of High Court directions. Administrative wisdom demands that Secretary Schools does not take up the issue of transport charges for students of private schools at his proposed meeting with a representative of Private Schools Association Jammu & Kashmir (PSAJK), two members of two private school associations from Jammu , few owners of private schools and some officers of his department and J&K Board Of School Education (J&K BOSE) and instead leaves it to Fee Fixation & Regulation Committee for Private Schools (FFRC) to take a call on the transport charges on plea of J&K Private Schools Association (PSAJK) as directed by two judge bench of J&K High Court comprising Justice Ali Mohammad Magray and Justice Mohan Lal.