STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: In a Public Interest Litigation filed by All Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh Teacher Federation seeking directions to administration for framing policy for maintaining student-teacher ratio in schools without any discrimination and implementing the same in letter and spirit, a Division Bench of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court comprising Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Sindhu Sharma after hearing senior Adv Pranav Kohli with Adv Farhan Mirza for PIL whereas AAG Amit Gupta for UT, granted a months’ time to produce a better status report bringing on record entire policy and needs of educational institutions in Union Territory along with existing student-teacher ratio in both urban and rural areas.
When PIL came-up for hearing, the Division Bench observed that order of the court dated February 15, 2021 recorded that a fresh status report filed on May 13, 2019 is deficit and does not spell out if various infrastructural projects referred therein have been completed, as such there is need to file fresh status report.
DB further observed that similarly by an order dated December 7, 2021, respondents were directed to indicate progress in the student-teacher ratio in both the urban and rural areas. In pursuance thereof, a fresh report has been filed on December 7, 2021 but again it was only concerned with the infrastructure projects and not with student-teacher ratio.
DB observed that a glance at aforesaid report indicates that though various projects have been sanctioned but only limited projects were completed and only some are in progress. “The report further failed to indicate time-limit within which remaining projects would be completed. Court has not been informed about Education Policy as well as the number of schools (Elementary High Schools and the Secondary Schools) which are required in the Union Territory and as to how many of them exist in the present with all necessary infrastructures,” the Court observed after which Adv Amit Gupta, Additional Advocate General, sought some more time to produce a better status report for bringing on record entire policy and need of educational institutions, on which DB granted a months’ time for filing status supported by an affidavit of a Senior Officer not below the rank of Secretary to Government, Department of Education.