Making mockery of heating arrangements in Kashmir schools at a time when annual board exams for class 10 and 12 are underway, Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (BOSE) has disbursed a paltry amount of Rs 1000 as heating arrangement allowance for each school designated as an examination center.According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the move has triggered a widespread criticism by the students as well as the teaching staff assigned the duty to conduct exams.One of the examiners, who also heads a government higher secondary school in Srinagar said besides the government allowances, he spent 90 percent of local funds of the institution to provide heating facility to the students.He said, “Rs 1000 is not sufficient to provide heating facility to the students. In our school, there was no heating gadget. We bought new heating devices, coal and firewood. For this, we spent more than 10,000 out of the government allowances.”He said that in his school, there are eight rooms where examination is being held. “It is obvious that Rs 1000 will not be sufficient to provide heating arrangement,” he said. “It’s a mockery by the JK BOSE.”An official told KNO that the BOSE authorities have disbursed insufficient funds to provide heating arrangement for the students and the staff that conducts exams.“In many government schools resources are not available, even the BOSE has not provided adequate funds to the respective schools designated as examination centres of annual board exams.”
He also said that at many places BOSE has designated three examination centres in one school and on the contrary the authorities have disbursed only Rs 1000 to provide heating facility for an exam period that will stretch dill December, when Kashmir will be under tight grip of cold.“The schools having three examination centres are supposed to have at least nine rooms with equal number of heating gadgets. However, in meager allowances BOSE, it is not possible to arrange heating gadgets for all papers being held on different dates,” he said.Earlier, the students of annual board examination of 10th and 12th standard said they were not given any heating facility in their respective centers. “The inadequate allowance by BOSE is compelling the respective school to spend local funds being generated from the institution,” the official said.“BOSE has designated three examination centres in Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS) in Sumbal and GHSS in Hajin. For both centres only Rs 1000 were disbursed as heating allowances,” he said. BOSE officials said that it is providing Rs 1000 to those schools where two examination centers are established and Rs 1500 for three centers respectively.BOSE chairmperson Veena Pandita said, “Heating gadgets are already available in the schools and there is a need of coal only which is not that costly.” “I have also told the school authorities to give a representation if they feel there is not adequate facility,” she said. Pandita further said, “As far the schools with three examination centers are concerned, I have told my team to revive the heating arrangements.” (KNO)