Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, 119 government-run schools continue to operate despite having no enrolled students, raising serious concerns about the efficiency and management of the education department.

According to a statement by Kashmir Media Service, these schools have been left in an operational state while a total of 238 teachers remain posted in schools with no pupils. The situation has prompted questions about the allocation of resources and the apparent lack of oversight. Hundreds of other public schools across the region have already been closed due to extremely low or zero student enrollment.

In 2024 alone, over 4,400 government-run schools were shut down for the same reason, with no students to attend classes, raising further doubts over the sustainability of the education system under Indian administration.

Meanwhile, the healthcare system in Ganderbal district also faces a critical shortage of medical personnel. Over 50 positions, including doctors and paramedics, remain unfilled in the Ganderbal Medical Block, leaving the District Hospital Ganderbal severely understaffed and under-resourced.

Since 2019, only eight doctors and three paramedics have been appointed to the medical block, while nine doctors and paramedics have retired in the last five years. This chronic understaffing has had a direct impact on the ability of local healthcare facilities to provide essential services to the population.

The situation reflects the broader pattern of mismanagement and inefficiency by Indian authorities in IIOJK, where every department appears to be becoming increasingly dysfunctional. The closure of schools and the failure to address staffing shortages in critical sectors like healthcare highlight the disconnect between the government’s so-called development claims and the reality on the ground.