JAMMU: The State Education Department is struggling to pay salaries of SSA teachers for the past several months in the absence of non-receipt of funds to the tune of Rs 928 crores from the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.
The Minister-in-charge Education Department on Tuesday informed the State Assembly that non-disbursement of salaries to the teaching staff under SSA is due to less receipt of funds by GOI against approved allocation. The minister informed the members of the House that the matter has been taken up with the MHRD for early release of due installment of funds to the tune of 928 crores.
The Minister also informed the House that about 50 per cent government schools in the State are deprived of play ground facilities. At the same time 2,800 schools are without drinking water facilities while over 3,400 schools do not have their own buildings.
There are 23,684 government schools including 3,904 clubbed schools and 5,292 private schools in the state.
Out of these 12,032 schools are without play ground facilities, 11,562 schools are without compound walling, 2,817 schools are without drinking water facilities.
According to the written reply, “5,005 schools in Jammu and 7,027 schools in Kashmir division are without play ground facilities, while 7,835 schools in Jammu and 3,727 schools in Kashmir are without compound walling while 2,509 schools in Jammu and 308 schools in Kashmir are without drinking water facilities”.
When it comes to providing library facilities to the children the track record of government schools is very poor. More than 2,000 government schools are without library facilities in the state, 3,427 are without government building while 470 have no laboratory.
There are 105 schools in Jammu and 140 in Kashmir which are without Principal/ Head Master and 1,257 schools in Jammu and 1,497 schools in Kashmir are without subject teachers while 476 schools in Jammu and 207 schools in Kashmir recorded less than 30 per cent result in the state.
The State Education Minister also informed the state assembly that in March 2015 the state had 146 schools with zero enrolment and more than 3,000 schools with enrolment of less than 15 students.