No school will be taken over by govt permanently, assures J-K Education Minister

Facing flak from Opposition parties over the takeover of the 215 schools affiliated to the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Sakina Itoo on Saturday asserted that these schools will only be looked after by the government till the new management committees are formed.

Asking parties not to politicise the issue, the minister said the rules were clear that when the tenure of managing committees of these schools expires, the government can look after the school till the new management committee is formed.

Itoo said if the management committee of any school is formed tomorrow, and its CID verification is received, then the school will be handed over immediately.

The clarification comes after political parties lashed out at the ruling National Conference (NC) government over the order.

The minister said the draft approved by her mentioned that the cluster principals would look after these schools, contrary to the order issued by the School Education Department Secretary, an IAS officer who reports to the LG.

In an order issued late Friday evening, the Secretary ordered the takeover of the schools, which were run by the JeI and its affiliate Falah-e-Aam Trust (FAT). The order said the management of such schools will be taken over by the district magistrates/deputy commissioners, who shall then propose a fresh management committee.

However, Itoo said the order issued by the secretary was “distorted”.

“It is a wrong order, I accept that. The order has been distorted. It is not our order,” she told reporters in Anantnag district in south Kashmir.

The minister said the schools will be looked after by the government until a new management committee is formed.

She said the management committees of these 215 schools had received negative CID verification six to eight years back and their terms had expired, as such, the schools were left in the lurch.

“The career of the children was in the dark. They were facing difficulties at the time of the Board exams, they were in distress. Students and people used to approach us regularly as they faced problems at the time of board examinations. The Board (J&K Board of School Education) did not accept them.

“So, the Education Department decided that the nearest cluster principals would look after these schools in which over 51,000 students were enrolled,” she said, reiterating what she had earlier said in a video message.

Itoo said the government has not banned or closed such schools.

“The order is that if the managing committees are formed in three months, and their verifications come, then the schools will be handed over to them.

“If the people from the village where the school is located form a managing committee tomorrow and their CID verifications come, we will hand over the school to them immediately,” she added.

The minister said the rules were clear that when the managing committees of these schools expire, the government can look after the school till the new management committee is formed.

“Students, teachers and structures would remain as such, only nearest principals will look after them till new management committees were formed,” the minister added.

She said the decision was taken to safeguard the future of the students in these schools.

“That was our proposal, but when the order was issued, it was mentioned that the deputy commissioners will look after and frame management committees and some other things, which was not our proposal,” she said.

The minister said she had sent an approved note of the order to the Secretary, asking him to frame the order accordingly. However, that has not happened, she added.

When asked if the secretary had done so deliberately, the minister said, “You should ask him”.

“I want to clear my stand that our proposal was for the career of the students and so that they can undertake examinations smoothly,” she added.

She lashed out at the political parties, especially the PDP, for criticising the move.

“It was in her (Mehbooba Mufti’s) rule that the CID verifications of these schools came as adverse. Why did she not raise her voice then or all these years? They should not indulge in politics in this. This is a matter of the future of the children,” she said.

Itoo assured the people that no school will be taken over by the government permanently. “Once the managing committee is formed, schools will be handed over to them”.