Govt closing all its orphanages; to set up 2 Boarding Schools

The J&K government has decided to wind up all its orphanages and instead set up two Boarding Schools for orphans to ensure their overall development under one roof.
“We plan to establish quality Boarding Schools one each in Srinagar and Jammu,” Minister for Social Welfare Sajad Lone told Kashmir Post. He said that the process for identifying the buildings in the two capital cities has started and the Boarding Schools will be made functional soon.
Elaborating, the Minister said that the basic motive behind the move is to ensure overall development of the orphans under one roof. “The Boarding School will have all facilities on modern lines. We will separate boys and girls and work out separate hostel facilities for them. The step will also help to hone the skills of orphans and to keep them away from the social stigma of being parentless children,” the Minister said.
According to government figures, there are 17 government-run orphanages in Kashmir while as Jammu has 14 such orphanages. “We have almost 800 to 1000 orphans in these orphanages registered with us. They include both boys and girls. The number is almost equal in Kashmir and Jammu,” said Director Social Welfare, Hashmat Ali.
Mission Director, Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), Talat Pervez said, “The concept is to ensure quality education, recreational facilities, medical facilities and overall development of these children on modern lines.”
The existing buildings currently used as orphanages across the State, Pervez said, would be used for children homes. “We are already planning to establish various observation homes for the children and these buildings can be used for even juvenile homes,” he said.