Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday said that the stakeholders have shown reluctance in reopening the educational institutions across the region amid the prevalent COVID-19 pandemic.

Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Kewal Kumar Sharma, who holds the education portfolio said that the stakeholders including parents, teachers, community heads and media “have not agreed over reopening of schools”, which he said was a matter of concern.
Sharma’s statement comes over two weeks after the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) wrote to the Chief Education Officers in Kashmir asking them to hold wider consultation among stakeholders over reopening of schools in the valley amid the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.
The said communique to the CEO’s dated June 3, was issued following a directive by the union Ministry of Home Affairs to the J&K government asking their feedback whether schools in the region could be opened.
The MHA while allowing selected businesses to reopen recently, maintained that a decision over reopening of educational institutions will be taken only in July after proper consultations among stakeholders.

Sharma said that the reopening of schools in Kashmir division was particularly a matter of concern for the government as the academic year is in the middle of the session, adding “There is an urgency of reopening of schools. We are trying to find more solutions.”

He further said that in addition to online education, the government is trying to find more ways. “That’s what we are upto these days,” Sharma added. He also said that the government is trying to explore one more Television channel through NCERT so that the more areas will be covered through it.

Sharma further said the government has not decided anything about the mass-promotion of primary or any other standard.

Earlier, the Union Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Ramesh Pokhriyal had issued a statement about the reopening of schools wherein he had said that the decision will be taken in the month of August.

The J&K government had in March closed educational institutions, which had opened barely a week ago then after remaining shut for months following lockdown against abrogation of Article 370. (KNO)

Reader correspondent