The Jammu and Kashmir administration has asked education authorities to hold consultations with stake holders including parents and students before deciding on opening of schools and colleges.
The move comes after the educational authorities faced backlash after it Monday expressed government’s intention to reopen schools in mid June amid the Covid-19 pandemic prompting the union minister Dr Jitendra Singh to suggest the J&K administration to defer its decision of reopening schools.
The order to hold consultations also comes in the backdrop of communication from Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to the J&K government seeking its feedback on the reopening of the educational institutions across the country.
“The decision (to open educational institutions) will be taken after a wider consultation at the institution level with parents and other stake holders.
As such, Directors SEDs through their CEOs and ZEOs shall consult the institution heads, sarpanches, Gram Panchayats, Municipalities and provide feedback on opening of schools in each educational zone,” LG’s Advisor, K K Sharma, who is also in-charge of the school education department, asked school and higher education departments on Wednesday.
The advisor sought the feedback till June 07 and then directed administrative department to provide its recommendations.
“Similar action is to be taken by Director Colleges and Director Technical Education for stakeholder consultation in respect of each college, polytechnic and ITI,” he said.
Accordingly the director colleges of higher education department on Wednesday asked all the principals of the degree colleges to enter into wider consultations with students, parents and other stake holders.
There had been strong resentment among the people over the UT adminitration’s purported move to reopen schools from June 15, especially among the parents.
Former J&K women commission chairperson Vasundra Pathak Masoodi in a letter to lieutenant governor had described the plan as “an abject contravention and violation of the guidelines issued by the home ministry under the National Disaster Act”.
On Monday, School Education Department’s Director Finance in a communiqué stated that the ‘government intends to re-open schools in mid of June’ and asked the concerned authorities to ensure all safety measures to arrest the spread of coronavirus among students and teachers.
Following the resentment, Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office, on Wednesday asked the J&K administration to defer the decision of opening schools.
After the centre’s intervention, L-G adviser K K Sharma said the UT administration has not taken any decision to reopen the schools on June 15 yet.
He, however, said instructions have been issued to schools to ensure sanitisation of the premises in view of Covid-19 across J&K.
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