QAYOOM WANI Urges Timely Action and Educational Fairness
SRINAGAR, NOVEMBER,13 :
The Jammu and Kashmir Civil Society Forum (JKCSF) has expressed serious concern over the unregulated sale of textbooks and uniforms by certain private schools and bookshops at exorbitant rates, terming it an open exploitation of parents in the name of education.
While welcoming the recent directions of Hon’ble Education Minister Ms. Sakina Itoo to CEOs for inspecting private schools and bookshops involved in “unregulated selling” of textbooks, JKCSF observed that such measures come too late, when classes for the new academic session have already begun. The Forum stressed that the government should act timely and judiciously to prevent such irregularities rather than responding after public outrage.
Chairman Abdul Qayoom Wani said that the repeated failure of JKBOSE to ensure the timely and fair distribution of prescribed books is another major concern that adversely affects the academic career of students. He urged the authorities to take moral and administrative responsibility for rectifying the system on a war footing.
JKCSF further emphasized that private schools should not be judged merely on their high results or percentage scores, but rather on the absorption of their pass-outs in professional colleges, research, and literary fields — the real indicators of educational success.
The Forum also demanded a blanket ban on interviewing children and parents for admissions, which contradicts the principle of Education for All and creates psychological and social barriers.
“Education must remain a noble mission, not a marketplace. Timely intervention and accountability are essential to safeguard the future of our younger generation,” Mr Abdul Qayoom Wani concluded.