Education cornerstone of social, economic development of society: Sakeena Itoo

Jammu, Jun 19: Minister for Education, Social Welfare, Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo distributed regularisation orders among 261 Contingency Paid Workers (CPWs) of education department and also virtually laid foundation stone of various educational infrastructure projects across multiple schools of Jammu division at Abhinav Theatre here Friday.
Project Director Samagra Shiksha, Bhawani Rakhwal; Director School Education Jammu, Dr. Naseem Javid Choudhary; Joint Director SCERT, senior officers of school education department, CEO Jammu, Principals, Lecturers, educationists and officers of district administration were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, the Minister reiterated the Government’s commitment to providing quality education, strengthening school infrastructure, and ensuring the welfare of employees associated with the education sector. She emphasized that education remains the cornerstone of social and economic development of society adding that various initiatives are being undertaken to transform the educational landscape of Jammu & Kashmir.
While congratulating the regularised CPWs, the Minister appreciated their contribution towards the functioning of the education department. She add that regularization of CPWs has been a long pending demand and the present Government has fulfilled its commitment under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to provide social security and dignity to these workers who have been serving the department for years.
The Minister, on the occasion, also called for zero tolerance towards teacher attachments from far-flung areas to cities. She asked the Director School Education and CEO Jammu for immediate repatriation of all such teachers to their original place of postings in villages. “The shortage of teachers is manufactured because teachers avoid far-flung postings. Need of the hour is to send them back so that children in villages do not suffer,” she asserted.
The Minister also said that a transparent transfer policy for School Education Department is under process, on the lines of the policy already framed for Higher Education department.
The Minister, on the occasion, also virtually laid the foundation stone for various infrastructure development works of School Education Department in Jammu Division like Elementary Hostel at Government Middle School Hiranagar, upgradation and modernization of Government Higher Secondary School Nagrota Gujroo, and construction of additional classrooms at Government Higher Secondary School Pallan. These initiatives are expected to significantly enhance educational facilities and create a more conducive learning environment for students in these areas.
She also released several educational publications prepared by SCERT Jammu & Kashmir, aimed at enriching teaching-learning processes and supporting the implementation of contemporary educational reforms.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Director School Education Jammu, Dr. Naseem Javed Choudhary gave a detailed overview of CPWs regularization process and ongoing academic initiatives. He also highlighted that department is undergoing a phase of developments for strengthening of education sector across Jammu and Kashmir.