Ensure quality education in navodayas: House panel

Vikas Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 13

A Parliamentary Committee has expressed concern over lack of quality education being offered to the students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in rural areas. It has asked the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti to ensure quality education was imparted to the children to further improve the academic performance of the institutions.

There are 17 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in the state — nine in the Jammu region and eight in the Kashmir region.

Sources said the committee observed that the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas established in rural areas across the country, especially in hilly, northeastern states, were facing shortage of teachers and lacked infrastructure such as buildings and boundary wall. The committee said since the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas catered to the needs of rural children, the department should take steps to ensure quality education to them.

The committee had emphasised providing intensive training to upgrade the knowledge of teachers and principals.

Recently, it came to the fore during a survey that around 62.9 per cent students reported inadequacy of computers in the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in J&K. Only 7.1 percent students used computers daily in the schools while 26.2 per cent on alternate days and 31 per cent weekly. Surprisingly, 35.7 per cent students in the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas have never used computer.

Only 10 per cent vidyalayas in J&K conducted remedial classes while no special care was taken by teachers and no special training was held for average students. There was also no individual counselling.

Sources said the proposal for the construction of a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Bandipora district had been referred back by the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti to the district administration for removal of various discrepancies and grant of requisite clearances.

Of the 48 proposals received by the apex body for the construction of JNVs, only 40 were accepted.

Dearth of computers 

• It came to the fore during a survey that around 62.9 per cent students reported inadequacy of computers in the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in J&K.
• Only 10 per cent vidyalayas in J&K conducted remedial classes while no special care was taken by teachers and no special training was held for average students.
• There was also no individual counselling.