Government school students in Jammu and Kashmir to receive free books and uniforms

Students studying in government schools in Jammu and Kashmir will now be provided with free textbooks and uniforms. Education Minister Shamima Firdous made this important announcement on Monday. The government is taking necessary steps to provide these facilities to children studying in government schools so that they can reach the same level as children studying in private schools.

According to an NDTV report, while speaking to journalists, Minister Firdous stated that it is a very good thing that government school children are going to receive free books and uniforms. She added that this decision will increase public attraction towards government schools. Raising a question, the Minister asked why we give more preference to private schools? Our children need to work hard and they should be brought to the same level as children in private schools.

The Minister also provided information regarding the 'Books Day' initiative. The main objective of this initiative is to ensure that children and their parents do not face any difficulty in purchasing books, as many people are not able to afford them. She expressed concern regarding the fact that very expensive books are currently being sold in private institutions. She said that these institutions should reconsider this matter.

Regarding the large sums such as ₹10,000, ₹6,000 and ₹7,000 being charged by private schools for sets of books, the Minister stated that they are going to pass an order regarding this very soon. To carry out this process in a streamlined manner, she will also convene a meeting with the Director of Education and other officials. She assured that everything would be done in a disciplined manner.

Additionally, the Minister expressed her view on the issue of recruitment and age limit for Jammu and Kashmir Bank. She stated that it is regrettable that the age limit for bank recruitment has been kept at 30 years. Since no appointments have been made for the last 10 years, she instructed that the age limit should be kept up to 40 years and this matter should be reconsidered.

Shamima Firdous is serving as the Education Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and is working to bring reforms in the education sector.