J&K Govt Takes Over 58 Jei-Linked Schools Across Kashmir

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Srinagar- The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday assumed control of 58 schools across the Kashmir Valley that were directly or indirectly affiliated with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), officials said.

The institutions were being run under the umbrella of the Falah-e-Aam Trust (FAT), which has long been under the scanner of security agencies. With the latest move, the administration has extended its oversight to a fresh set of schools spread across multiple districts.

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An official said district administration teams, assisted by police, visited the campuses and formally took over their management on Saturday.“The process was carried out smoothly, with local authorities assuming charge of the institutions,” the official added.

This is the second major such intervention in less than a year. In August last year, the government had taken over the management of 215 schools linked to JeI across the Valley's ten districts. Officials said the latest action is a continuation of that process.

Under the arrangement put in place earlier, the management of these institutions is vested in the respective district magistrates or deputy commissioners. They are tasked with constituting fresh managing committees after due verification, ensuring that academic activities continue without disruption.

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Authorities have maintained that the move is aimed at safeguarding the educational future of students enrolled in these schools.“The decision has been taken in the larger interest of students, so that their studies are not affected,” an official said.

The Centre had declared Jamaat-e-Islami an unlawful organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in February 2019, a ban that was extended again in February 2024. Intelligence agencies had subsequently flagged several institutions for alleged links with the outfit and its affiliated trust.

Officials said the managing committees of the schools taken over had either completed their term or were“reported adversely” in intelligence assessments. The government's intervention, they added, was necessary to bring administrative clarity and ensure regulatory compliance in the functioning of these institutions.

Despite the administrative shift, officials stressed that day-to-day academic operations would continue as usual, with no immediate changes for students or teaching staff.

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