The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) has recently issued a crucial directive, approving the enrollment transfer of secondary and senior secondary level students from sixty private schools to nearby government institutions. This decision comes in light of pressing concerns related to 'land and affiliation expiry issues.'
Safeguarding academic careers
As reported by the Kashmir News Observer, the JKBOSE Deputy Secretary General for the Kashmir division conveyed that the directives were specifically targeted at private academic institutions in the Kashmir division. These institutions, running on proprietary land, had their affiliation expire during the academic year 2021-2022. Furthermore, they failed to submit the necessary case files for extension, prompting the board's intervention to safeguard the academic careers of the enrolled students.
Transition process and requirements
According to the JKBOSE official, on-roll students from classes 10th to 12th in these private schools will now be tagged with nearby government high or higher secondary schools. The concerned principals or cluster heads are tasked with securing necessary discharge certificates for the students and submitting Permission-Cum-Admission (PCA) forms, along with renewal registration returns and the prescribed fee.
In addition to the student transfer, the board has imposed a tagging fee equivalent to the periodical inspection fee for the current academic session (2023-2024) on the defaulting private schools. A stern warning has been issued against these schools enrolling students in classes 9th to 12th for the academic session 2024-2025 without obtaining formal affiliation and recognition from the board and the Government School Education Department.
The JKBOSE emphasized that these orders are subject to the outcome of any writ petitions pending before competent courts of law. Under Statutory Order (SO) 177, approximately 200 private schools, in violation of running their institutions on state land, are required to clear their titles with the revenue department, providing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the board.
This development aligns with the conditions notified in April 2022 under SO-177, outlining the registration, recognition, and affiliation criteria for private schools in the region.
