• 714 High Schools to be Upgraded into K-12 Composite Schools to Improve Access to Senior Secy Education
• Seeks Replication of Jammu’s 80% Sterilisation Progress in Srinagar
Srinagar :Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday reviewed a comprehensive roadmap to strengthen senior secondary education in Jammu and Kashmir and, separately, called for mission-mode action to address the growing stray dog menace in Srinagar.
At a review meeting of the School Education Department held at the Civil Secretariat, the Chief Minister discussed a phased plan to upgrade 714 High Schools into K-12 composite schools, with focus on strengthening teaching and non-teaching staff, infrastructure, laboratories and other essential facilities.
The proposed upgradation is aimed at ensuring continuity in school education, expanding access to Classes XI and XII and reducing dropouts at the critical transition after Class 10, particularly in underserved and geographically remote areas.
The meeting also discussed better utilisation of existing human resources, strengthening academic facilities and improving the overall school network. The roadmap envisages a planned and requirement-based expansion of senior secondary education, besides coordination with the Government of India for necessary support under centrally sponsored schemes.
Omar Abdullah emphasised the need for a focused and need-based strategy to expand access to senior secondary education and ensure better educational opportunities for students across Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by Education Minister Sakina Itoo, Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, ACS PWD Anil Kumar Singh, ACS Finance Shailendra Kumar, Commissioner Secretary Planning, Development and Monitoring R Alice Vaz, Commissioner Secretary Education Ram Niwas Sharma, Mission Director Samagra, Directors of Education and other concerned officers.
In another review meeting, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called for a focused, coordinated and humane response to the growing stray dog menace in Srinagar, directing the concerned departments and Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) to accord the issue top priority and deliver tangible results.
The Chief Minister observed that the stray dog issue has emerged as one of the foremost practical concerns for residents of Srinagar, affecting the daily lives and sense of security of citizens.
He noted that Jammu has made comparatively better progress in sterilisation coverage and questioned why the same approach has not been implemented effectively in Kashmir.
“Within the same territory, we have success of having achieved around 80 per cent sterilisation in Jammu, while Srinagar has not been able to make comparable progress. If we have demonstrated that it can be done in Jammu, we should be able to replicate that success in Srinagar,” Omar Abdullah said.
The Chief Minister sought a clear assessment of the requirements for veterinary surgeons, paravets and other support staff in Kashmir division and assured full government support for the resources needed to undertake the work on a sustained basis.
He directed the concerned agencies to immediately engage the required personnel and intensify action on the ground. He also stressed the need for quick disposal of garbage dumps, particularly roadside piles of food waste that provide easy access to stray dogs.
Omar called upon both SMC and Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) to improve garbage disposal within municipal areas, observing that uncollected waste is not only a public hazard but also contributes to the stray dog menace and creates an impression of poorly maintained and polluted cities.
The Chief Minister directed SMC to constitute a dedicated team to address the issue in mission mode, with emphasis on substantially increasing the number of trained dog catchers, scaling up sterilisation operations and strengthening the availability of veterinary doctors and trained personnel.
He stressed that all measures must remain humane and comply with established procedures while effectively controlling the stray dog population and addressing public concerns.
The Chief Minister also called for greater coordination among the Housing and Urban Development Department, Health and Medical Education Department, SMC and other concerned agencies to ensure that the measures result in measurable improvement on the ground.
He said the objective should be to establish a sustainable and effective mechanism to address the stray dog issue not only in Srinagar but across Jammu and Kashmir.
Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, Commissioner Secretary Housing and Urban Development Mandeep Kaur, Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education M Raju, Commissioner Secretary Education, Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir and Jammu, Inspector General of Police Jammu Zone, Commissioners of Srinagar and Jammu Municipal Corporations and other concerned officers attended the meeting. Officers based in Jammu participated through video conferencing.
