Large scale discrepancy in teacher-student ratio in Jammu

There is large scale discrepancy in the ratio between teachers and students in various schools across Jammu, reveals an RTI query.
"To our RTI application the education department informed us that the government has fixed that on every 35 student there needs to have one teacher in the school, but the situation is actually quite contrary," Balvinder Singh, Convener, Sangarsh RTI Movement said.
He said that in violation to the rules there are several schools in Jammu division where there are only two teachers against several hundred students.
"In govt higher secondary School for migrants Purkhu, there are only two teacher against 205 students. Similarly in Govt Higher secondary School (Bakshi Nagar) camp Durga Nagar there were only three teachers on 346 students in 2010," he said.

He said that in certain schools the ratio of teachers was much higher than the prescribed rule.
"There were 49 teachers for 310 students in 2010-11 and 54 teachers for 354 students in Govt Higher secondary school Camp Roop Nagar. In GMS Dhounthaly there are eight teachers for 38 students, in PS Pacca Danda there are four teachers for six students, in Middle School Kachi Chawni there are eight teachers for 66 students and in Middle School Gujjar Nagar there are five teachers for 55 students," he said.
The information received through RTI revealed that there are at least four government schools in Jammu city where 12 teachers have been appointed but not a single student.

"It is disturbing but it is a fact that there are at least four government schools in Jammu city where there are no students for the past five years and the 12 teachers deployed there have withdrawn a salary of approximately Rs 2.5 crores in the last 5 academic years," he said.