Education Minister denies permanent takeover of Jamaat-linked schools

Srinagar, Aug 23: Education Minister Sakina Itoo clarified on Saturday that the government has not taken over the 215 schools linked to the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and its affiliate, the Falah-e-Aam Trust (FAT), but has instead initiated a temporary management arrangement.Addressing rumours circulating that the education department had taken control of the FAT schools in the Kashmir Valley, Itoo said that the move was aimed at addressing issues related to these schools, which had negative CID verification results six to eight years ago, leading to their previous inaction. Students and parents had been reaching out for assistance.”As the time for the JKBOSE examinations approached, students faced significant challenges in submitting their examination forms, as there was no designated person to collect these forms, and JKBOSE was not accepting forms from students attending FAT-based schools in the Kashmir valley,” she said.Itoo said the School Education Department decided that the principal of the nearest government school would oversee these institutions, which collectively enrol around 51,000 students across the 215 FAT schools. It was also decided that the existing staff and teachers would remain in their positions. This arrangement ensures that students can continue their education uninterrupted, with the management overseen temporarily by the nearest government school principal. The management committees for these schools had already been established, but their terms had expired when the current government took office.”We have decided that until the management committees are reconstituted and CID verification is completed, the principals of the nearest government schools will oversee these institutions. This measure is to safeguard the future of the students studying in these schools,” she said.The Education Minister said the initial order mandated that Deputy Commissioners establish management committees for these schools. However, she added that the order contained several details not aligned with the government’s proposal. After reviewing the order, she forwarded her approved proposal to the Secretary of the School Education Department, clarifying that the respective government school principal would oversee the schools for a period of three months, with the understanding that this arrangement would be revoked once the management committee was formed and verification completed.”The order indicated that the Deputy Commissioner had asked for immediate control and proposed new managing committees, which is not in accordance with our proposal,” she said.”I have already submitted my approved proposal to the Secretary of the School Education Department, and I informed him that the government order should reflect this. However, the order was issued based on the proposal I approved,” the Education Minister said.Itoo also responded to political criticism, particularly from the PDP. She accused opposition parties of politicising the issue and questioned why they did not raise concerns during the previous administration of Mehbooba Mufti, when CID verifications of these schools turned adverse. “This is a matter concerning the future of our children, and politics should not interfere,” she asserted.The Education Minister reassured that no school would be permanently taken over by the government. “Once the managing committee is formed, the schools will be handed over to them,” she assured.