- The school, which was earlier run by the Jamat-e-Islami (JeI), which has been banned now for fanning separatist activities
- Students of these schools had to sit for examinations in the government-run schools instead of their own premises under an arrangement which was described as “tagging”
- The order by the Secretary of Education, however, said that the MCs of the schools were ordered to be taken over by DCs for the constitution of fresh committees
Early morning, a posse of police personnel and that of civil administration stomped into the premises of Alamdar Mission secondary school in the outskirts of Srinagar city in Mochua area. The school, which was earlier run by the Jamat-e-Islami (JeI), which has been banned now for fanning separatist activities, is among the 215 educational institutions in Kashmir, whose functioning has been sought to be monitored by the government.
The move came after management committees (MCs) of several of the schools were not approved by the government, as some of their members were relatives of former militants. Students of these schools had to sit for examinations in the government-run schools instead of their own premises under an arrangement which was described as “tagging”. Despite this, however, these schools continue to provide education to nearly 50,000 students primarily for a lower fee than that charged at private educational institutions.
After the revocation of Article 370, the authorities made it harder for these schools to run, even as their managements claimed that they now had no affiliation with the Jamat. Following the scrutiny of some members of the MCs of such schools by the police, their extension in affiliation was denied in several cases.
On Saturday, in an early morning operation spanning across Kashmir, the authorities made the heads of these schools file documents listing out the details of their income as well as expenditure. At the same time, the officials of the educational department at the zonal level were asked to oversee their functioning. The exercise didn’t come before the Education Minister, Sakina Itoo, said that it was not a “ take over” and her directive to the Secretary of Education, Ram Niwas Sharma, was to ensure that they were to be “looked after by cluster principals and not by the Deputy Commissioners (DCs).” Appointment and transfer of DCs were being done directly by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
The order by the Secretary of Education, however, said that the MCs of the schools were ordered to be taken over by DCs for the constitution of fresh committees. I, too, however, admitted in a social media post that the issue was taken up with the Secretary.
In contrast to the orders that are directly issued by LG Manoj Sinha, which bear clearly that they are issued on his instructions, yesterday's order on Jamat schools was issued on the directive of the Jammu and Kashmir government, which is normally the CM, Omar Abdullah, and his other cabinet colleagues, said officials.
Arafat Ali, Principal of Alamdar Mission School, said that they provided details of income, as well as the expenditure and other assets of the school, to the police and other officials of civil administration. “After 2019, we don’t have any affiliation with the Jamat-e-Islami (JeI) or their education wing of Falah-e-Aam Trust (FAT). Earlier, teachers were appointed by FAT, and the exams were also conducted by them, but now we have been running the affairs of the school on our own, conducting some exams ourselves and others through the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE),” said Ali.
The order on the takeover of the MCs by DCs of some of the schools came even as their registration was approved in the LG's rule, with some committees approved by the Education department.
The JKBOSE granted an extension in the period of affiliation of one of the schools in the central Kashmir area of Budgam on 6 January 2023, while its Managing Committee was also approved by the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK). However, the non involvement certificate (NIC) issued by the District Magistrate Budgam, to the school, referred to the report of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police that brother of one of the MC members of the school was a militant of HM outfit, who was killed in an encounter with the security forces in 1994. The NIC further noted that the nephew of another MC member was arrested in 1995 and later released in 1996, and had not been active in the militant ranks since then.
According to the staff of one of the schools, they were following all the guidelines of the government and even taught thebooks which were approved by the JKBOSE or NCERT and their teaching members were also paid salaries through bank accounts and even went to the provident fund. “The name of our school was also part of the order of taking over the management committees of schools by DCs, even as our affiliation was extended by JKBOSE till 2027,” said a staff member of one of the schools here.
Assistant Director of Falah-e-Aam Trust (FAT), Mushtaq Ahmad, said that the schools which figured in the takeover order of the Secretary of Education didn't come under the control of the organisation. “ There were some 17-18 schools that we ran earlier. These 215 schools about which the orders have been issued were being independently run by the educational institutions themselves.”
Political parties in Kashmir have, however, reacted sharply over the measures that were seen to be tightening the noose around these educational institutions. People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief spokesperson, Mehboob Beg, said that the government led by the chief minister, Omar Abdullah, has lost credibility, and people don’t believe its assertions that they are looking to improve the functioning of schools.
“Omar Abdullah wanted us to believe that we are getting statehood, and then he launched a signature campaign on the statehood issue, while promising restoration of Article 370. If the government says that the order came to reform the education of schools, which were backed by Jamat, who would believe them?” said Beg.
Senior Congress leader, Ghulam Nabi Monga, said, “The education of the students should not get impacted and LG-government should have consulted the elected government on the matter."
