In loving memory of Dr. Priya Ranjan: A mentor who treated me like family

SRINAGAR: Minister for Education, Social Welfare, Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo today chaired a meeting at Civil Secretariat here to assess the issues related to fee fixation and regulation of Private Schools across Jammu and Kashmir.

The meeting was attended by Secretary School Education department, Ram Niwas Sharma; Director School Education Kashmir, Naseer Ahmad Wani; Secretary JKBOSE, Ghulam Hassan Sheikh; Director School Education Jammu, Dr. Naseem Javaid; Director Finance School Education department, Administrative Officer Fee Fixation and Regulation Committee (FFRC), and other concerned officers, either in person or through video conferencing.

During the meeting, the Minister held detailed deliberations on range of issues concerning fee fixation, regulation, and operational transparency of private educational institutions across the Jammu and Kashmir.

The Minister emphasized that education is a social responsibility and reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring that no student is deprived of learning opportunities due to unreasonable fee structures. She directed the officers to strictly enforce existing guidelines and strengthen monitoring mechanisms to prevent arbitrary fee hikes and other regulatory violations.

Recognizing the vital role of private schools in supplementing the public education system, the Minister called for greater transparency in fee disclosure, adherence to approved structures, and timely redressal of grievances from parents and students.

The Minister also stressed the importance of constructive engagement between the government, school managements, and parent associations, advocating for a collaborative approach in shaping a fair and sustainable educational ecosystem across Jammu and Kashmir.

While reviewing other issues, the Minister issued strict instructions to CEOs to check unregulated selling of school textbooks by private schools through various agencies on exorbitant rates. She directed the CEOs to conduct routine checks on schools as well as book shops and take stringent against schools and book shops involved in selling textbooks on exorbitant rates.

She also instructed the Director School Education to issue a detailed order regarding curriculum/textbooks to be followed by schools and make each CEO to implement that order in letter and spirit. She asked the CEOs to take appropriate action against schools violating this order. The Minister also directed the CEOs to establish suitable grievance redressal mechanism for dealing with complaints related to fee structure of schools as well as increased textbook prices.

She also directed the officers to develop a fully dynamic website on a government server to enable online applications, fee data submission, and transparent public access to approved fee structures. She also asked them to develop evidence-based recommendations for periodic fee revision mechanisms to ensure affordability and sustainability in private education.

Your voice can reach the world: At JK Monitor, we firmly believe that every well-researched idea has the power to inspire change beyond geographical boundaries. We are delighted to share an encouraging message from one of our esteemed contributors, Dr. Rakesh Verma (J&K Forest Services). “His article, ‘When Trees Become Rights-Bearing Citizens: A Lesson from Canada for India’s Ecological Future,’ published on JK Monitor, received appreciation from La Compagnie des Papillons Bleus, the French non-profit organisation that founded and promotes the Universal Declaration of Tree Rights.”.  Read the message here
A Profound Loss: JK Monitor Mourns the Passing of Founding Chairman Dr. Priya Ranjan

We at JK Monitor are profoundly saddened by the sudden demise of our Founding Chairman, Dr. Priya Ranjan.IN LOVING MEMORY Dr Priya Ranjan

A brilliant mind who studied at Netarhat Residential School and graduated in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur before earning his PhD from the University of Maryland, Dr. Ranjan chose to return to India and dedicate his life to teaching, research and social good.

His pioneering work in networked systems, AI, robotics and biomedical applications—especially computer-vision tools for early detection of cancer and heart disease—reflected his deep belief that advanced technology must serve humanity.

For more than 15 years at JK Monitor, he remained a loyal friend, mentor and collaborator, marked by rare humility, intellectual integrity and quiet generosity. His passing leaves a void that cannot be filled. Priya, you will be deeply missed. Your life continues to remind us that knowledge finds its highest purpose in the service of others.

— Team JK Monitor

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