50% Govt schools without desks, benches

Srinagar, Jul 14: The government schools are grappling with the basic amenities, as only 50 percent desks and benches are available for the students in the educational institutions.

The revelation has raised questions over the utilisation of the funds pumped in by the Ministry of Education (MoE) towards the J&K School Education Department (SED) to strengthen the schools with adequate infrastructure and facilities for the students in these institutions.

However, over the years, the schools have been grappling with the dearth of basic facilities for the students.

Every year, crores of rupees are pumped in for J&K’s education sector from the MOE but the successive regimes have failed to fill the gaps, raising questions over the utilisation of funds.

Besides annual grants released under the centrally-sponsored scheme Samagra Shiksha, schools get annual maintenance grants for facelift and for equipping schools with basic facilities.

But contrary to it, around 50 schools are without desks and benches for the students, who are made to sit on the floor in the 21st century, when the government claims to have revolutionised the education sector.

Earlier on June 26, 2025, Minister for Education Sakina Itoo chaired a review meeting of the department wherein the actual picture in terms of the infrastructure and other facilities came to the fore.

During the meeting, it was apprised that only 50 percent desks are available in the schools.

“Both the Directors (DSEK and DSEJ) shall work out the deficiency about availability of desks for their respective divisions and formulate a district-wise proposal for providing school desks of appropriate size,” an official document reads.

Both the Directors of Kashmir and Jammu divisions have been asked to expedite the procurement of school desks for which funds are available with the CEOs “so that students may not suffer any more.”

Besides the dearth of desks for the students, the schools are without permanent buildings and basic infrastructure.

In the meeting, it came to light that some of the schools do not own buildings and are functioning in rented buildings.

“Both the directors shall furnish the proposals for construction of school buildings within available funds to ensure that all schools have their buildings and sufficient classrooms,” the document reads.

The Directors have been asked to compile and share the list of building-less schools and schools with deficient infrastructure with the Project Director, Samagra Shiksha, for their projection in the Project Approval Board (PAB) meeting of Samagra Shiksha.

As per the official statistics, around 1900 government schools are without separate girls’ toilets 8.5 percent of schools are without electricity.

“The directions were issued to all the CEOs for ensuring the availability of girls’ toilets within four months. Besides, all the HoIs shall be designated as Estate Officers of their schools with the responsibility of ensuring the availability of basic facilities and proper maintenance of the institutions,” the official document reads.

Amid the complaints of lopsided Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) in schools, the Education Minister has issued strict instructions to both the directors to complete rationalisation before July 10 to do away with skewed PTR in urban and rural schools for judicious use of HR and to overcome the deficiency of teaching staff.

During the meeting, all the cluster heads have been asked to refrain from issuing transfer orders of any teaching staff member on their own.

Currently, the Education Department has 184 hanging schools which have been upgraded from time to time without the creation of posts, and these schools are functioning through internal arrangement.

“The department shall move a proposal for the creation of staff for these hanging schools for the concurrence of the finance department,” the official document reads.