‘Any violation shall warrant action under rules’

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government has framed a common admission schedule for private schools affiliated with the J&K Board of School Education following complaints about “exploitation” from parents.
An order issued by Principal Secretary School Education Department Asgar Hassan Samoon Thursday said that the government’s Fee Fixation Committee (FFC) had intimated the department recently that it had received complaints and suggestions from parents of students and civil society that the different admission schedule adopted by private schools in J&K resulted in “exploitation of parents” and offers a limited choice of institutions to parents for seeking admissions for their wards.
It has been learnt that the FFC has recommended to the department to frame a common admission schedule for private schools affiliated with the JKBOSE in order to prevent the exploitation and “allow a leveling field to private educational institutions during the admission process”.
Accordingly, the department has directed the said private schools in Kashmir and Jammu divisions to follow the respective common admission schedule.
Private schools in Kashmir division and winter zones of Jammu have been asked to issue admission notification for the particular academic session in the 3rd week of September while the receipt of application forms shall be completed by the last week of September every year.
The institutions have been asked to finalize and display selection and waiting list by 10 October every year and take fee from the selected students by October 20.
In Jammu division, the respective dates have been fixed as 3rd week of January, last week of January, February 10 and February 20 in order.
Besides, all schools across J&K have been asked to upload online on their websites or keep available in public domain the name of the entry class, age criteria for selection of students, admission criteria per se, documents required for admission, detailed fee structure.
The Thursday’s order further asked private schools to issue admission forms for free and charge only Rs 200 as registration fee at the time of submission of admission forms saying any violation shall warrant action under rules.

Irshad Khan