Bellying the tall claims of government to revolutionize the education sector, around 1200 government primary schools in J&K are run by a single teacher each, depriving the students from having adequate staff in schools.According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the disproportionate pupil teacher ratio at primary level has punctured the department claims of strengthening the education system at primary level.As per the official documents, there are 13175 government primary schools functioning in J&K out of which 13 percent of primary schools are run by single teacher each which means 1200 schools are managed by just one teacher.The single teacher schools exist in J&K even after the department merged over 2000 schools mostly primary level under the process of rationalization some five years ago.An official said the MHRD has expressed serious concern over the issue and questioned the J&Ks education department over the disproportionate ratio in schools at primary level.’"The department has been directed to take measures to rationalize the institutions properly in order to reduce the single treachery schools," the official said.
The official said that the department has committed to the MHRD that it will rationalize teacher deployment in primary and upper primary schools, so that there is no single teacher school in J&K."All schools will have Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) as per norms under the RTE Act,” the official said. An official further said that most of the primary and middle schools particularly in rural areas are left teacher deficient as some teacher use their influence to manage their deputation in offices or in schools located in towns."This is the basic reason for existence of single teacher schools in J&K. Otherwise all primary and middle schools have specific sanctioned strength as per erstwhile SSA norms," the official said.Meanwhile, besides single teachers schools, around 1100 primary schools and 900 upper primary schools have adverse teacher pupil ratio in J&K state while as around 2100 schools are without subject specific teachers.“The department has been advised to focus on completing the redeployment and rationalization of teachers in schools," the official document reads as per KNO. Repeated attempts to reach out to Director School Education Kashmir Muhammad Younish Malik didn’t fructify. (KNO)