Village education committies to be revived in J-K

Jammu and Kashmir government today said 'Village Education Committees' would be revived in the state to make the functioning of the education department more participatory and to institutionalise accountability in schooling.
"VECs will play key role in the development of localised education and school improvement plan and also monitor enrolment, retention, education of girl child and other disadvantaged groups, utilisation of grants and constructions to attain the objective of Universal Elementary Education in the state," Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar said during a tour of Baramulla district.
Akhtar called for speeding up reforms to develop the education sector in the state.

"While Jammu and Kashmir has adequate human and monetary resources for the development of the education sector, the only thing that is needed to bring a real turn-around in this crucial sector is the will to make the things move," he said.
Expressing dismay over hundreds of school buildings lying incomplete across the state, the minister said the government's priority would be to complete all such buildings in a time-bound manner and equip them with adequate infrastructure to provide better facilities to the students.
Instructions have been issued to all the Chief Education Officers to ensure proper pupil-teacher ratio in the schools under their jurisdiction, he said.

"A pool of general line teachers at district level and that of lecturers and masters at state level will be created for after-school care of students. Anganwari centres should work in close coordination with the local primary schools to improvise schooling," he said.