Owners of private schools in Jammu and Kashmir, under the aegis of The Jammu and Kashmir Private Schools Association (JKPSA) have vehemently opposed the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education’s (JKBOSE) recent move to “tag” students of unrecognized private schools with nearby government institutions. The recognitions of these private schools was not completed due to various reasons. In a unified stance against this decision, JKPSA has announced a major protest to be held in front of the JKBOSE office in Jammu on January 11th.
The Jammu and Kashmir Private Schools Association (JKPSA) made this announcement during a press conference, urging all stakeholders, including school owners, academic and non-academic staff to gather in solidarity against what they consider to be unjust policies of the Jammu and Kashmir Board and School Education.
The JKPSA vehemently criticized the tagging of students from classes 10th to 12th, as they believe it will have a cascading effect, rendering even classes 1st to 8th in these schools defunct. They condemned the move as irrational and driven by mala fide intentions, asserting that it will not only devastate private school owners but also create a worrisome situation for thousands of teachers and staff who depend on these schools for their livelihood.
The association further lamented that the JKBOSE has set a new precedent by targeting not only schools on state land but also those on private land. They accused the government of lacking a vision for streamlining recognition processes through a single-window clearance system and alleged that it is deliberately aiming to shut down small schools by imposing numerous complicated conditions.
With the protest scheduled for January 11th, it remains to be seen whether the voices of private schools will be heard and whether the Jammu and Kashmir Board and School Education will reconsider its controversial decision.
