‘Disease of Attachments’ mar functioning of education department: CM Omar Abdullah

Posted by admin_kas on 2025-08-19 22:56:28 |

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Muhammad Adnan

Srinagar, Aug 19: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said that the “disease of attachments” has marred the functioning of the School Education Department, saying the government cannot demand results from teachers unless they are equipped with the basic facilities needed to teach.

He was addressing a day long Educational Stakeholders Meet on NEP 2020- Challenges and Prospects in Jammu and Kashmir, organised by Directorate of School Education Kashmir at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) here.

He said that the education and health departments were marred by “disease of attachments as the employees recruited in remote areas like Gurez seek city postings, harming the system.

"People recruited in far-off places do not want to serve there and want to remain in city along with their posts. This culture of recommendations and attachments has damaged the system badly,” he said.

He said that there was a little scope for meaningful reform when those in power keep their children away from government-run schools

“No minister, MLA or senior officer gets his children admitted in a government school of his choice. If our own kids are not there, how can we expect these schools to improve?” Omar said.

He said that classrooms and facilities remain absent because children of elected representatives and officers are not enrolled in government schools.

“As a CM, if my own children were in a government school without classrooms, I can say with confidence, those classrooms would be built within five days,” he said.

He stressed the importance of accountability and said teachers cannot be asked to deliver results unless the government equips them properly.

“Once we provide teachers with modern infrastructure, connectivity, teaching techniques, and digital facilities, then only we can demand results from them,” he said.

CM Omar Abdullah said the government must bring its schools up to a standard where parents would voluntarily consider them the best option for their children’s future.

CM however clarified that he was not against private schools, acknowledging their role in the sector. "But government institutions must be strengthened to restore public trust," he said.

He urged teachers not to only list challenges but also offer solutions, and assured that those working in remote areas should be rewarded with better postings and promotions in the future.

He further said that transfers done on recommendations harm dedicated teachers with no bureaucratic influence. "Such teachers lose the will to properly teach children,” he said.

He asked the education minister that transfers and postings in remote areas should be seen as an opportunity, not punishment.

He said that as soon as this elected government came into power, prime attention was being given to education and health sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.

“I always say that keep everything else aside. If we do not have education, if we are not healthy, then we have nothing," Chief Minister said.

He said building roads, bridges and factories wont bear any fruits unless we have education.

"We provide electricity, we bring tourists or we do anything. If we do not have education to benefit from these things, if we are weak, if we are infirm, then we will not be able to benefit from these things," he said.