Education in schools may have improved during last several decades in Jammu & Kashmir like several states and union territories of the country but official figures as indicated in a media report published by most of the Srinagar based dailies show that libraries in 64% Government schools and 50% private schools are without books and such schools interestingly also lack availability of basic medical facilities. Schools lacking such basic facilities in Jammu & Kashmir should have been though noticed long back when erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state was ruled by popular Governments for decades together and such figures being noticed now by the incumbent Government headed by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha show that the school education department has started looking seriously at the availability of basic educational facilities in both Government and private schools. The figures interestingly contradict the claims of private schools on quality education as 50% of them are lacking the facility of books in their libraries and medical facilities at their first aid medical units. Libraries without books in schools also shows the lesser concerns and sensitivities of both the Government and as well as the people about the availability of basic facilities in schools across Jammu & Kashmir. While the private schools charging huge amounts as admission and annual fee from the enrolled children with a commitment to provide quality education owe explanations for lacking basic facilities like books in the school libraries and first aid medical units within the four walls of their premiseses, it is the time for the Government to ensure availability of both books in libraries at the schools and as well as first aid medical facility units in all the schools across Jammu & Kashmir.
Administrative wisdom demands that while ensuring availability of books in libraries and medical facilities at all state owned schools, Government fixes a deadline for the private schools to ensure facilities of books in their libraries and first aid medical centres at their premiseses with a warning that lack of such facilities in private schools would lead to cancellation of their registration and affiliation with the J&K Board of School Education. The strict enforcement of the guidelines on basic facilities of education like books in libraries and medical aid centres at the premises of schools could be the first step not only towards quality education but also for developing a culture of reading in libraries among the future generations in Jammu & Kashmir .
Though free books as per the prescribed syllabus are distributed free of cost among children of the families living below the poverty line in Government run schools but the availability of books in the libraries of Government run schools is as mandatory for Government owned schools as it is for the private schools 50% of whom despite charging huge admission and annual fee from the parents of affluent classes have failed to provide facilities of books in their libraries and first aid medical facilities in their premiseses. Administrative wisdom demands that while ensuring availability of books in libraries and medical facilities at all state owned schools, Government fixes a deadline for the private schools to ensure facilities of books in their libraries and first aid medical centres at their premiseses with a warning that lack of such facilities in private schools would lead to cancellation of their registration and affiliation with the J&K Board of School Education. The strict enforcement of the guidelines on basic facilities of education like books in libraries and medical aid centres at the premises of schools could be the first step not only towards quality education but also for developing a culture of reading in libraries among the future generations in Jammu & Kashmir.
