Srinagar, Sep 24: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Thursday rejected a Private Members’ Bill seeking compulsory admission of children of public representatives and government employees to government schools.
The Bill was moved by Langate MLA Sheikh Khursheed, who argued that enrolling children of Ministers, legislators and government servants in public schools would help improve the education system.
The government opposed the proposal, saying compulsory admission was not a practical solution. The concerned Minister said the government was upgrading school infrastructure and would take up the remaining institutions in a phased manner.
She said children have the right to choose their educational institutions and pointed to NEET qualifiers from government schools as evidence of their achievements.
The Minister said the government should focus on building public confidence in government schools and improving their quality rather than making enrolment mandatory. She also urged Khursheed to withdraw the Bill.
However, Khursheed insisted that infrastructure upgrades alone would not address the challenges facing government schools. He said increasing enrolment was equally important and called for policymakers to consider sending the children of elected representatives and government employees to public institutions. The House ultimately defeated the Bill.
