Tuition centres under govt scanner

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 31

After widespread complaints against poor amenities and infrastructure at private tuition centres in Jammu, the district administration and the Education Department has decided to inspect all such facilities.

Official sources said following the High Court directions, the Deputy Commissioner and Chief Education Officer with the help of police would carry out inspection of institutions which had filed affidavit regarding fulfilment of conditions laid down in the government order.

To ensure strict and proper implementation of government order regarding registration and provision of adequate infrastructural facilities at private tuition centres in Jammu, Divisional Commissioner Pawan Kotwal had recently chaired a meeting of the monitoring committee on private tuitions.

“Fifty per cent of private tuition centres in city don’t have proper infrastructure and qualified teaching staff. They follow no fixed fee structure and charge exorbitantly from the students,” said an Education Department official.

Students though rued the lackadaisical attitude of teachers at government schools and termed it one of the reasons for the growth of tuition centres. “Government teachers are not teaching properly in schools as a result of which students are forced to join the tuition centres. It is becoming a serious problem for poor students,” said Savita Sharma, a class XII student of a government school.

“We have directed every tuition centre to get registered and fulfil the requisite criteria laid down under the rules otherwise they will face closure,” said Kotwal.

The Education Department claimed that it had so far received 91 affidavits from the owners of private tuition centres, 90 from Jammu district and one from Udhampur district.