More than 3000 government schools in Jammu and Kashmir have less than 10 students: Minister | india news
Srinagar: Education Minister Sakina Itu told the Assembly on Saturday that more than 3,000 government schools in Jammu and Kashmir have zero or less than 10 students by 2022.National Conference (NC) Itu, in a written reply to a question by BJP MLA RS Pathania, said that out of 3,192 such schools, 1,494 are in Jammu division and 1,698 in Kashmir.In Jammu, Kathua district has the highest number of such schools at 508. In Kashmir, Baramulla district tops the list of such schools with 396. Srinagar has the lowest number in the Valley with 90 such schools, while Poonch has the lowest in Jammu division with 17 schools.The NC government also revealed major infrastructure deficiencies — 2,698 schools do not have toilets for boys, 57 do not have toilets for girls, 9,078 schools have no boundary walls, and 10,896 schools lack playgrounds.Pathania described the figures as a “big revelation” and argued that the figures reflected a lack of public confidence in government schools. “If people are not enrolling their children in these schools, then why are they being opened,” he said, alleging that the schools are being run mainly to accommodate the teaching staff.Former Jammu and Kashmir education minister Naeem Akhtar of PDP called it a “serious situation” and accused the NC government of reducing education as an employment scheme for some teachers while neglecting the core duty of educating students. “The primary responsibility of the government is human development. This data paints a dismal picture. It is not that there are no students. They are forced to go to private schools due to lack of facilities and poor pedagogy in government schools,” Akhtar said.Baba Nazrul Islam, president of the Private Schools Association of Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJK), agreed that the data shows a growing preference for private schools due to better infrastructure, accountability and faster decision-making. However, he cautioned that the government should not view private schools as competitors but as “knowledge partners”. “If the government agrees to cooperate with private schools, this issue can be resolved,” Islam said.

