Ignorance and incompetence of PoK administration causes major education crisis

The state of educational infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has declined over the years. This issue has now become a serious problem for both parents and students.

Ishtiaq Ahmed, member of the Central Press Club in PoK, brought the issue into limelight when he said, “The educational infrastructure in PoK is in a critical condition. Despite having a budget of approximately PKR 25 billion for education, education standards in the region are falling rapidly.

Ahmed said, “Many teachers and professors in government schools and colleges are paid high salaries. But, when it comes to results none of their trainees have secured a significant rank in the board exams. Such ignorance and incompetence have forced parents to send their children to private schools. However, these private schools are run solely to make profits from all the stakeholders in the process.

He further said, “In private school tie-ups, they charge high fees from parents, they do not pay their teachers well, they do not have facilities for practicals or sports and despite all this they keep their fees sky high. Apart from this, due to the poor condition of government schools, more than seven lakh students of PoK area are forced to study in these private schools. The condition of government schools is so bad that even senior education officials hesitate in sending their children to government schools.

He also talked about the shortage of teachers in many government schools of PoK. “Many of their teachers are unqualified and many of these state schools do not even have adequate school buildings,” he said. The students there are forced to study either in tents or in the open. Furthermore, the curriculum offered in these schools requires extensive upgrading. This type of curriculum produces only clerks and working class but does not produce scientists and other brilliant minds, thereby making us slaves of the powerful.

Highlighting another persistent issue in PoK's education sector, Ishtiaq Ahmed said, “More than 40 per cent of schools damaged in the 2008 floods have not been repaired or rebuilt. Improper planning and lack of finance have halted construction work.”

“Some of the buildings could have been used after minor repairs, but nothing of this kind could be done because the land mafia here has damaged many of these schools while extracting construction waste for their profits . And these destroyed buildings are not evidence of the disaster that is hampering the education of PoK students,'' he said.