JK govt orders closing down of private tuition centres

The Jammu and Kashmir government today ordered closure of coaching centres offering tuition up to class 12 to remove the "distractions in and around schools", in the wake of widespread student protests against the Kathua rape-murder incident.

The order, however, shall have no bearing on the coaching centres providing training for professional courses to students passing out from class 12th, an official spokesman said.

In order to remove distractions in and around schools, and to put in place a regulatory mechanism for improving the academic environment in the state, Education Minister Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari has directed that all those private coaching centers offering tuition up to class 12 will be closed for the time being, he said.

He said the decision in this regard will be reviewed on fortnightly basis.

The decision was taken during a meeting with officers of the state education department, including chief education officers (CEOs) and principals of government higher secondary schools, the spokesman said.

Bukhari directed the officials to compile a list of teachers working in such coaching centers and also asked the school authorities to conduct parent-teacher meetings once every week.

The minister also emphasised the moral and ethical duty of heads of educational institutions to treat the students as their own children.