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I will always remember Dr. Priya Ranjan not only as the Chairman of JK Monitor, but as a mentor, guide and elder brother whose kindness shaped my life and work. Write a tribute at JAMMU: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, chaired a comprehensive review of the School Education Department (SED) to assess the status of implementation of actionable points arising out of the 5th Chief Secretary’s Conference, directing officers to adhere to strict timelines with clearly defined milestones for each intervention.
The meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary, SED; Chairperson, JKBOSE; Project Director, Samagra Shiksha; Directors of School Education, Jammu/Kashmir, besides other senior officers and Heads of Departments.
Expressing concern over the progress, the Chief Secretary observed that implementation of several actionable points has taken longer than expected and stressed that all initiatives must now be executed in a mission-mode approach without further delay.
He reiterated that education sector reforms are foundational to overall development and emphasized that improving teaching-learning outcomes must remain the central focus, maintaining that while welfare measures like free textbooks, uniforms and mid-day meals are essential, quality of teaching alone can ensure meaningful engagement, improved enrolment and retention in government schools.
The Chief Secretary directed the department to take the VSK initiative to the next level by ensuring availability of rich, curriculum-aligned digital content across all subjects and promoting its effective and frequent usage among students. He further called for actively engaging students from Class 3 onwards in IT-enabled learning activities through VSKs, enabling them to acquire future-ready skills, including exposure to artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
The Chief Secretary also reviewed the status of ICT infrastructure and Atal Tinkering Labs and directed the constitution of district and zonal-level committees to physically verify the functionality of girls’ toilets and other facilities in all schools. He instructed that the status be regularly updated on a dedicated online monitoring portal to ensure transparency, accountability and real-time tracking of progress.
Reviewing infrastructure, the Commissioner Secretary, SED, Ram Niwas Sharma informed that 92.29 per cent schools are equipped with functional separate girls’ toilets, while construction of 2,575 additional units is underway, including 718 already completed, with full saturation targeted by April 10, 2026.
It was further informed that the department is working towards achieving universal basic infrastructure in all schools by March 2030. Progress in this regard includes establishment of 1,420 Computer-Aided Learning (CAL) Centres and 1,588 ICT Labs, while 4,272 smart classrooms and 2,036 additional ICT Labs are currently under procurement and installation.
On digital initiatives, the meeting was informed by Project Director, Samagra Shiksha, Bhawani Rakwal that the department has successfully transitioned to Phase-II of Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK), with expansion in monitoring and learning systems.
On this occasion Anuj Chugh, Project Head, VSK J&K demonstrated the working of four AI-powered chatbots Shikshak Sahayak, JK DigiLearn, JK Edu-Insights and JK Pariksha launched to strengthen academic support, governance and data-driven decision-making. He added that all government schools have adopted AI-enabled platforms for daily attendance reporting, significantly improving compliance and monitoring.
The meeting further reviewed the progress of JK e-Pathshala, a DTH-based educational initiative launched in January 2026, which is currently operating five dedicated channels, with a proposal submitted for addition of 11 more channels to provide grade-specific content. The department also informed that two digital recording studios have been made functional and have produced 544 SCERT-vetted educational videos to enrich digital learning resources.
Highlighting academic reforms, the department informed that in alignment withNEP-2020, the NIPUN Bharat Mission is being extended up to Grade 5 by September 2026 to strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy. In addition to that it was given out that the Vocational education has been expanded to 1,350 schools, covering around 1.41 lakh students across 15 trades. Holistic Progress Cards have been implemented up to the middle stage to ensure comprehensive assessment, while an Integrated Test Management System (ITMS) is under development to facilitate secure, competency-based digital examinations.
The meeting was also apprised that J&K is progressing towards achieving full literacy by March 2028, with 14 districts already recording over 95 per cent achievement in foundational literacy and numeracy assessments and being declared fully literate.
The meeting also encompassed reviewing of Student health with 7.73 lakh children having undergone health check-ups up to December 2025. It was further informed that APAAR ID generation has reached 56 per cent of the student population, supported by the ongoing Mega Aadhaar MBU Drive 2.0 by the department.
Reiterating the need for strict monitoring and accountability, the Chief Secretary called upon all officers to ensure timely implementation of all actionable points and emphasized that the impact of these reforms must be visible at the grassroots level, ultimately leading to improved learning outcomes and a robust, inclusive and future-ready education system in Jammu and Kashmir.
