The month long enrollment drive carried out by the Government run schools is about to end within few days from now and the response of parents in both rural and urban parts of Kashmir is fortunately encouraging. The enrollment drive would hopefully reduce the dropout rates and consequently increase the rate of literacy in Kashmir and more so in remote rural areas. The launch of a drive from remote rural area of Kupwara district by Director School Education Kashmir after the opening of Schools in March this year was a pointer to the fact that the motive of the enrollment drive is reach out in the areas where the dropout rate in Government run schools is very high. Such annual drives if carried out won’t only further the causes of heavy enrollments in Government school but would also increase the literacy rates both in rural and urban parts of Jammu & Kashmir. Most attractive part of the enrollment drive as per the figures maintained by the Directorate Of School Education in Kashmir is shifting of 11231 admissions from private to Government schools. Though shifting of more than eleven thousand students from private to Government schools in a single enrollment drive is a major achievement and henceforth a very good beginning for the growth and development of education in Government schools but what matters the most is the availability of latest infrastructural facilities in Government schools. Though focus on yearly enrollment drives is good for institutional growth of Government run schools but unless and until Government run schools are not equipped with latest infrastructural facilities the encouraging response to this year’s enrollment drive won’t make much difference. Equipping Government schools with latest infrastructural facilities won’t only bring them at par with private schools but would also make them centres of attraction for both the parents and as well as the students in both urban and rural parts of Jammu & Kashmir.
“Unprecedented rise in attractions for latest infrastructural facilities in schools developing among both the students and as well as the parents necessitates increased focus on development of infrastructural facilities along with yearly enrollment drives in Government schools”.
No doubt lack of infrastructural facilities is major cause of low enrollments in Government schools but availability of highly qualified teaching staff is a big advantage with Government Schools. Since the services of qualified teaching staff can be better utilised only if the infrastructural facilities are upgraded right in the earnest, it is for the School Education Department to use major part of it’s annual budget on developing infrastructural facilities in Government Schools equally both in rural and urban parts of both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division. Unprecedented rise in attractions for latest infrastructural facilities in schools developing among both the students and as well as the parents necessitates increased focus on development of infrastructural facilities along with yearly enrollment drives in Government schools.
