Srinagar: Asking the government to revisit the newly amended rules in the new education policy (NEP), the Private School’s Association J&K (PSAJK) Thursday said the amended rules will hinder the growth of private schools in J&K.
Senior members of the PSAJK expressed these thoughts at a daylong conference on NEP in Srinagar here. During the conference, the players associated with private schools discussed the challenges and opportunities in NEP across J&K.
The conference was held at the Institute of Hotel management Rajbagh Srinagar.
The conference was attended by various dignitaries including Provident Fund Commissioner J&K, Rizwan Uddin, Mohammad Rafi, former secretary of Education, and senior members of PSAJK. While speaking on the occasion, senior members of PSAJK threw light on the challenges and achievements in the private school sector in J&K.
While talking to Greater Kashmir on the sidelines of the conference, the president of PSAJK, GN Var, said that the conference was aimed at preparing for the NEP and discussing various challenges that it brings to the table. He said that the new amended rules of NEP leave no space for the private school sector to grow.
He said that they want policies to be framed, and rules to be amended from an academic angle. “We can feel that some of the new rules have been made through the prism of bureaucracy which will hit the school sector. We want logic-driven policies so that we can also play the role in the education sector. We want to appeal to the government to take everything into consideration and revisit these new amendments,” Var said.
The association said that recent armaments are unjust, one-sided, and unilateral and this will hinder the growth of private sector schools and many schools will become defunct. While speaking on the occasion, Provident Fund Commissioner J&K, Rizwan Uddin said that everyone will have to work jointly for the betterment of the education sector. “Whatever is in my domain, I will be more than happy to facilitate.
Our offices are open to everyone and we all have to play a role in the betterment of the sector,” he said. During the conference, ‘Think Sight’ , a local think tank headed by former assistant commissioner Income Tax, Shabir Ahmed Handoo, gave a presentation.
The presentation was about how to run schools professionally so that improved quality of education will be given. It also threw light on how to work for the implementation of NEP and create an echo system, where private schools are able to deliver and supplement government policies in the education sector.
At the conference Prof Gull Wani delivered a lecture on the challenges faced in the education sector. Prof Wani threw light on the changing scenario of jobs, welfare and of education. He spoke about the future of education in the backdrop of the NEP 2020. Referring to this policy document, he emphasised on making the required changes in “our schools so that the school education system in Kashmir stays relevant, productive, and is in sync with the changes.”
Prof Wani also hinted at the occasional inconsistencies in the policies and the global imperatives, and a need to remove them. The conference was also attended by the Association Pir Panchal head, Khurshid Bismil, Chairman PSJK Poonch, Waheed Ahmed Banday, and Kanver Gadyal from Jammu. In addition to this all the district presidents, major school owners, and administrators were part of the daylong conference.