SED consolidates enrollment data to merge 2000 Government schools

Besides enrollment, the department has sought the status of the buildings of these schools too.

Syed Rizwan Geelani

Srinagar: The School Education Department (SED) is consolidating details of the government schools for their merger with the adjacently-located schools owing to the meager or zero enrollment of students in these institutions.

In a fresh circular, the department has sought the enrollment status of primary, middle, high, and higher secondary schools.

The Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) have been asked to submit the data to their respective Chief Education Officers (CEOs).

Besides enrollment, the department has sought the status of the buildings of these schools too.

The department has decided to merge government schools having a meager or zero enrollment of students.

As per the government policy, the primary schools having less than 15 students, middle schools with less than 30 students, and high schools with less than 50 students would be merged with the nearby school to streamline the Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) in government schools.

“The department has sought details of such schools which have less than the required number of students enrolled,” an official said.

He said that the data had been submitted to CEOs for its further submission to the administrative department.

The department is also collecting the details of the schools having meager enrollment that are functional in a rented or a government-owned building.

As per the format devised by the department, the ZEOs and CEOs have been asked to submit the details about the year of establishment of the schools besides ascertaining if the schools were clubbed in the past years or had been recommended for merger now.

An official said that the details of the staff members were consolidated for their rationalisation for using their services in other schools wherever required to overcome the dearth of teaching staff.

Principal Secretary School Education Department (SED) Bishwajit Kumar Singh told Greater Kashmir that the department was in the final stage of consolidating the data of schools having meager enrollment.

“It will take a few days to finalise the process and merger of around 2000 schools – 1000 each in Kashmir and Jammu division,” he said. “The idea is to balance the PTR in schools.”

The department is also consolidating the number of classrooms available in these schools besides its condition.

“After consolidating the classroom details of these schools with meager enrollment, the government will take a call on whether the students should be shifted to nearby schools or the students of that nearby school should be shifted to this place. The decision will be taken based on the availability of classrooms,” the official said.

The department is also consolidating the details of the school buildings left vacant post rationalisation of schools in 2015.

“The department has asked the zonal and district education authorities whether the vacant building was handed over to any government department or not,” the official said.

Around 800 school buildings were left vacant post rationalisation of schools ordered in 2015 in J&K. Recently these buildings were handed over to the district administrations to put them to use as per the requirement.