“To further the causes of illegal profiteering through exploitation of both the students and the teachers and to evade action from the competent authorities the private schools appease power wielding bureaucrats and politicians day in and day out.”
Schools are undoubtedly learning centres but unfortunately private schools in Kashmir as usual have become the epicentres of the appeasement of the leaders of the mainstream political parties post J&K Assembly Elections. Infamous for prioritising profits over career growth and progression of the teachers the private school managements appease power wielding politicians and bureaucrats just to further the causes of the exploitation of underpaid and overworked teachers and evade action from the Government. Against huge surge in school fee structures the private schools pay exceptionally low salaries to teachers which are hugely disproportionate to their known sources of income. Take for instance bus fee the students are charged by private schools it randomly ranges from Rs 2500 to Rs 3000 a month irrespective of the distance from the pick up point to school premises. While school bus fee has to be proportionate to the distance the student has to travel from the pickup point to the school premises it is randomly fixed in the range Of Rs 2500 to Rs 3000 for students of both distant and nearer locations. Unfortunately despite repeated complaints the J&K Fee Fixation & Regulation Committee (J&K FFRC) does not take any note of the flagrant violations of the bus fee norms by private schools. Same is the case with the admission fee which the private schools have to charge as per the guidelines of J&K FFRC a statutory body of the Jammu & Kashmir Government established under an act by the erstwhile J&K State Assembly. To further the causes of illegal profiteering through exploitation of both the students and the teachers and to evade action from the competent authorities the private schools appease power wielding bureaucrats and politicians day in and day out. After take over by the new elected Government the private schools started appeasement of leaders by a recent meeting with the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah followed by another meeting with Education Minister Sakina Itoo and now they invite newly elected MLAs at gala events one after the other just to seek their support for illegal profiteering practices not allowed under law and at the cost of the growth and expansion of Government Schools.
“Though Education Minister Sakina Itoo had recently threatened action against private schools engaged in practices of illegal profiteering but the private schools evade actions with the influence of some of the elected MLAs and bureaucrats some of whom are running private schools by proxy for years together. Law makers becoming a part of conspiracy hatched by private schools against the growth and progression of the Government schools is an intolerable offence which necessitate immediate attention and intervention of none else than the Chief Minister and Education Minister. A full scale investigation into the illegal profiteering practices of private schools with focus on their yearly financial audit as such could bring accountability in the private education sector and reduce the high intensity exploitation of both the students and as the teachers at private schools.”
While the incumbent Government is committed to raise the standards of Government Schools to further the causes of right to free education the private schools are given the support which they don’t deserve given their unaffordable fee structure for the underpaid and overworked teachers. Though Education Minister Sakina Itoo had recently threatened action against private schools engaged in practices of illegal profiteering but the private schools evade actions with the influence of some of the elected MLAs and bureaucrats some of whom are running private schools by proxy for years together. Law makers becoming a part of conspiracy hatched by private schools against the growth and progression of the Government schools is an intolerable offence which necessitate immediate attention and intervention of none else than the Chief Minister and Education Minister. A full scale investigation into the illegal profiteering practices of private schools with focus on their yearly financial audit as such could bring accountability in the private education sector and reduce the high intensity exploitation of both the students and as the teachers at private schools.
