Poor education scenario in Bandipora, JKSA petitions CM Omar

Srinagar, Aug 03: The education system in Bandipora district is in a state of alarming disarray, plagued by severe administrative failures and chronic staffing shortages. An RTI filed by the National Convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, Nasir Khuehami, has unearthed shocking deficiencies in the district’s school administration.According a statement issued here, numerous institutions are struggling due to unfilled leadership positions and an acute lack of teaching faculty, resulting in a deteriorating academic environment for thousands of students. Nasir Khuehami said that the education sector in Bandipora is on crutches, crippled by headless schools, staff shortages, and administrative negligence. Once known for its intellectual legacy and academic promise, Bandipora is now witnessing the steady collapse of its education infrastructure. He stated that the RTI filed with the Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department has exposed a deeply unsettling reality, schools operating without heads, an absent and disengaged administration, and a system gasping for reform. The crisis is particularly severe in higher secondary schools. The absence of subject-specific lecturers and full-time Principals is depriving students of quality education. As per the RTI reply, 18 high schools in Bandipora are operating without Headmasters, while 18 out of 21 higher secondary schools do not have full-time Principals. Of the 21, only three have in-charge Principals, and the remaining 17 are being managed by ‘look-after’ Principals, assigned the role as an additional responsibility. Alarmingly, only four of these schools possess Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) powers, leaving the rest administratively handicapped and unable to function effectively.Khuehami urged Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take immediate action by filling the vacant posts of Headmasters and Principals to re-establish effective school administration. He emphasized the urgent need to recruit lecturers across all academic subjects to ensure delivery of quality education. He also called for an end to the practice of assigning multiple administrative roles to a single individual, citing that it leads to inefficiencies and severely compromises institutional performance. He asserted that the education system in Bandipora is crumbling under the weight of administrative neglect. “Schools cannot function without proper leadership, and students cannot thrive without teachers,” he said. “The government must act swiftly before this crisis causes irreversible damage to the district’s academic future.” Khuehami added that, if the situation is left unaddressed, thousands of students risk suffering long-term academic setbacks, further widening the educational divide in the region.