Quality education, teacher accountability pillars of J&K’s educational reforms: CS

*Launches renovation work of Vicharnag temple

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, July 19: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a comprehensive review meeting of the School Education Department to take stock of the teaching scenario and implementation of other education reforms in the Union Territory.
The meeting besides Secretary, School Education Department was attended by PD, Samagra Shiksha; Director, School Education, Kashmir/Jammu; Secretary, JKBOSE and other concerned officers of the department.
The Chief Secretary stressed on further improving the quality of education in Government schools, highlighting the department’s substantial budget of approximately Rs 11,000 crore that should commensurate with the quality of education imparted.
Dulloo underscored the pivotal role of teachers, stating that “none of the infrastructural or technological upgradation would bear fruits unless the teachers do not play their roles in an efficient manner.” He further remarked that there is no alternative to the dedication and creativity of teachers in teaching the students.
The Chief Secretary emphasized the critical need to monitor the teacher punctuality and time spent in classrooms. He called for use of IT tools to identify teachers demonstrating a lackadaisical approach, tardiness or unauthorized departure from schools for personal matters.
He directed that teacher salaries be linked to their school attendance and lawfully availed leave. He was informed that JK Attendance App, a geo-coordinates-based face recognition attendance system, has already been implemented, with 1.14 lakh employees actively marking their attendance.
The Chief Secretary enjoined upon the senior functionaries of the department to conduct surprise visits, both physical and virtual, to schools, especially in remote areas, to assess the staff presence and teaching effectiveness.
Dulloo stressed the importance of utilizing the modern infrastructure such as ICT labs, Computer-Aided Learning (CAL) labs, smart classrooms, Atal Tinkering Labs and other available resources. He directed the department’s IT team to develop a dashboard for daily monitoring of IT infrastructure usage in each school. Currently, 1420 CAL Centers and 2036 ICT Labs and 4272 Smart Classrooms are fully operational across the UT.
Regarding vocational education, the Chief Secretary impressed upon the department for regular handholding and support to the vocational learners until they secure placements in the job market. Over 141,000 students from classes 9th to 12th were said to be currently enrolled in 15 different trades imparted in the schools.
Dulloo directed the department to exercise caution and make thorough preparation before adopting the ECCE model, emphasizing the extensive groundwork required for merging pre-primary education with childhood care in collaboration with the Social Welfare Department. He asked for appointment of nodal officers for each zone to ensure the feasibility of such mergers and prevent difficulties for children seeking admissions.
The Chief Secretary reviewed the progress on various works under different schemes, including establishment of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs), Girls Hostels, modern infrastructure and particularly the PM SHRI scheme in designated schools across the Union Territory.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary visited the ancient Vicharnag temple, a site of historical and religious significance, in Nowshera area of Srinagar city.
The visit was aimed at to take onsite appraisal of the works being taken up for revival, restoration and conservation of the monumental asset under Government’s initiative of preserving the rich cultural and architectural heritage.
On the occasion, the Chief Secretary kick started the renovation and restoration works of the ancient Vicharnag temple, also known as ‘Vichar Sahab’.
The Chief Secretary, while reviewing different project components at the site, directed the officers to execute the works at fast pace, strictly adhering to the set timelines and quality of the work as envisioned under the project guidelines.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Secretary emphasized that the renovation and conservation work on the prestigious project is aimed to restore the temple’s centuries old past glory and preserve its cultural and architectural legacy.
On the occasion, the public, particularly the members of Pandit community from various parts of the country participated in the event and sought blessings from Shri Vichar Sahab.
Later, Chief Secretary chaired a comprehensive review meeting with the district administration of Bandipora to assess the ongoing development works and the status of Centrally Sponsored and UT Sector schemes in the district.
The meeting, held at the Mini Secretariat Bandipora, was attended by Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Manzoor Ahmad Qadri, SSP Bandipora Harmeet Singh and other district and sectoral officers.
The Chief Secretary emphasized mission-mode implementation of schemes by the departments like Power, Education, Health, Agriculture, Horticulture and Tourism. He directed the officials to accelerate the infrastructure works to improve the overall ease of living for the citizens.
He also stressed on effective implementation of Centrally and UT Sponsored Schemes, including the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), promotion of cooperatives, PMAY and saturation of healthcare schemes, with a particular focus on achieving the set targets under different schemes.
During his visit, Atal Dulloo laid foundation stones for several key projects worth Rs 805 lakh, including construction of a 100-bedded ST/G&B hostel and a district veterinary hospital at Bandipora.

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