Minister for Education Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari today asked School Education Department to update account books and go for a thorough audit to identify gaps in implementation of flagship schemes envisaging consolidation of infrastructure and making interventions to reform school education system.Chairing a high-level meeting, the Minister said government’s first priority is to equip all schools with bare minimum infrastructure and revamp the system by making effective corrections at all levels. He asked for The meeting, convened ahead of scheduled review meeting of Education sector to be chaired by Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti on Feb 23, was attended by Secretary School Education, Farooq Ahmed Shah, Directors school Education Jammu, Ravinder Singh, Director SSA A R Waar, Director RMSA Tufail Matoo, Chief Engineer R&B Jammu, Engineers of Construction wing of Department, and other executing agencies engaged for execution of SSA, RMSA, State Capex Budget, Tamir(reconstruction of institutions damaged by flood) and other schemes. The Minister asked the departmental functionaries to come up with a clear picture supported by authenticated data about the status/ achievements, expenditure accounts, salary and other liabilities under flagship education schemes of SSA and RMSA as also requirements for further consolidation of school Infrastructure.
Stressing on the need to approach the problems through a correction mode, the Minister asked the department not to hide things and pave the way for enforcing improvements where ever required. “We need to stop pushing the wrongs of past under the carpet. There is need to correct these and start afresh” the Minister said and set 3-day deadline for the head of each wing of the department to come up with their report card for projection during the meeting with the Chief Minister.The Minister set Feb 25 deadline for completing ongoing school building, up gradation works taken up under SSA, RMSA, State Capex Budget and Tamir schemes, even as the executing agency heads assured to meet the timeline.It was informed in the meeting that, out of 72 girls’ hostels work is in full swing on majority of the buildings barring a few due to land dispute or other issues.The Minister further asked the authorities to use all means to remove bottlenecks hampering the construction of school, hostel, DIET, Auditorium and buildings, besides reconstruction and up-gradation works. He said the government’s goal is to provide own buildings to all the schools, with water, toilet and sanitation facilities.Earlier, the executing agencies gave detailed resume of the status of ongoing works and assured to complete these within the timeline.The Minister asked the R&B sector, the agency entrusted with majority of school education works to give preference to the education department works. He called for spending major resources on schools lacking even bare minimum infrastructure.