The department of School Education Jammu and Kashmir is setting up 176 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs), residential schools, for catering to educational needs of 15,000 girl students of disadvantaged groups of society at elementary level.Principal Secretary School Education, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon, informed this during an officers meeting held today at Kupwara“Various reports suggest gender disparities persist even today in rural areas and among disadvantaged communities. The enrolment trends indicate that there remain significant gaps in the enrolment of girls at the elementary level as compared to boys, especially at the upper primary level. With the establishment of these KGBV, I am sure it will enhance access and quality education to the girls of disadvantaged groups of society,” Principal Secretary maintained.The meeting was also attended by Director School Education Kashmir Muhammad Younis Malik, Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Anshul Garg and other senior officers of civil administration and education department.Dr Samoon said that 21,000 children with special needs are being covered under inclusive education in J&K who are being provided specially designed teaching aids, wheel chairs, Brail books and escort allowance. He distributed wheel chairs and other teaching aids among the children with special needs.To further augment the school education infrastructure in Kupwara, Dr Samoon announced establishment of a state of the art composite model school in the district with latest facilities like smart class rooms, internet facility, modern teaching learning material and other related facilities.
During the visit, Dr Samoon also laid foundation stone for a 100 bedded girl hostel, first of the ten hostels coming up in the district soon to boost girl education in the district.Calling the reach out to the students a collective responsibility of all stakeholders, Dr Samoon directed the field functionaries to provide counseling and academic support to them. He said that department of education is committed to provide quality education with special focus on skill based and job oriented education to the students.Dr Samoon stressed upon the concerned officials to connect all the students through the digital platforms and employ all other means of education department to provide academic support to all students.Regarding the community classes in the district, Dr Samoon was informed that 1200 community classes are being conducted daily in the areas where there is poor or no internet connectivity.Pertinently, Kupwara district leads in student enrollment in government schools and number of students connected through online classes in Kashmir division.On the occasion, Director School Education Kashmir Mohammad Younis Malik apprised the meeting of the steps being taken up for compensating the academic loss of students due to Covid-19 pandemic. He informed that all the students of government schools have been connected through the digital platforms tele-classes and educational broadcast and teachers are giving academic support to the students using localized methods.