Unfortunately most of the Government schools are yet to get the seating facilities as are available to the students in private schools and students in government school are still made to sit on jute mats.
Teachers day reminds teachers of their commitment to teaching in classrooms and Government of it’s responsibility to reduce the inequalities in infrastructural facilities to make Government schools the attractive centres of learning as are the private schools despite the fact that majority of the private schools also come under sharp public criticism for compromising both the infrastructural facilities and as well as the quality of classroom teaching. While both the Government and private schools in Jammu & Kashmir like Government schools in Delhi the union capital should have become the symbols of smart classrooms and smart schools, the majority of both private and Government schools in rural areas are also run from rented buildings across Jammu & Kashmir. While availability of water is an uncompromising compulsion for both the Government and as well as private schools, the students in most of the Government and Private Schools are seen ferrying water in buckets from outside the school campuses in most of the rural areas despite the fact that Government is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission a centrally sponsored scheme under the slogan “Har Nal Sei Jal” across Jammu & Kashmir. By all standards of understandabilities any school not having accessibility to water won’t obviously have the accessibility toilet facility as wells inside the campuse. Unfortunately most of the Government schools are yet to get the seating facilities as are available to the students in private schools and students in government school are still made to sit on jute mats. Enrolment drives in Government alone won’t throw up any bigger challenge to private schools unless and until the Government does not improve basic infrastructural facilities at Government schools. Basic facilities don’t only mean availability of water and toilets inside the campuses but non availability of transport facilities is yet another cause for the reducing interest of people in admissions at Government schools.
For increasing enrolments in government schools the upgradation of the infrastructural facilities like completion of incomplete school buildings with portable water and toilet facilities, libraries, laboratories, playing fields and introduction of white marker boards in fixed time lines deserve greater attention of the Government . Government schools if equipped with such facilities won’t only show unprecedented rise in enrolments but will also throw up a bigger challenge to even leading missionary private schools both in Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division. Doing so will consequently raise the status of teachers and standards of teaching in government schools.
Even naives can understand that enrolment in government schools can’t be increased only by enrolment drives but enrolment in government schools can be largely increased by introducing basic facilities like safe drinking water, toilets and transport services. For increasing enrolments in government schools the upgradation of the infrastructural facilities like completion of incomplete school buildings with portable water and toilet facilities, libraries, laboratories, playing fields and introduction of white marker boards in fixed time lines deserve greater attention of the Government . Government schools if equipped with such facilities won’t only show unprecedented rise in enrolments but will also throw up a bigger challenge to even leading missionary private schools both in Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division. Doing so will consequently raise the status of teachers and standards of teaching in government schools.