The Jammu and Kashmir Government has moved to formally take control of 215 schools that were being run under the Falah-e-Aam Trust (FAT), an educational body created by the banned organisation Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI). The handover is scheduled for today.
The action follows two Ministry of Home Affairs notifications, issued in February 2019 and February 2024, that declared JeI J&K an unlawful association under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
After the ban, intelligence agencies were tasked with investigating institutions still connected with the group.
Their findings suggested that several schools were either directly guided or influenced by JeI members or sympathisers.
The management bodies of these schools had long expired and were flagged as unsuitable by security agencies. On that basis, the government directed that the schools be taken over.
The legal cover for this action comes from the J&K School Education Rules of 2010 and later amendments in 2018 and 2022 that allow Deputy Commissioners and District Magistrates to assume management of schools. New school committees will be announced after verification.
To avoid disruption, the government has instructed district heads to work closely with the School Education Department so that classes continue.
These schools will also be brought in line with the standards set under the National Education Policy (NEP), with an assurance that students will not suffer in terms of quality education.
Where these schools are
The schools are spread across most of Kashmir. Baramulla tops the list with 53, followed by Anantnag with 37, Kupwara with 36, Pulwama with 21, Budgam with 20, Kulgam with 16, Shopian with 15, Bandipora and Ganderbal with six each, and Srinagar with four.
Together, they account for around 60,000 students and nearly 4,000 staff, including teachers and non-teaching employees. Some institutions are also active in parts of Jammu. The administration has promised that the education of children and the jobs of staff will remain safe.
The FAT background
FAT was created by Jamaat-e-Islami in 1972 with the aim of spreading education, and its schools gained popularity in many semi-urban and rural areas of Kashmir. Because of their link with JeI, they came under repeated government scrutiny. The FAT was banned under the J&K Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1983. Despite that order, many of its schools kept functioning under various arrangements.
From 2022, FAT institutions came under fresh review. A Board of School Education letter dated June 16, 2022, even pointed out that at least 10 FAT schools had already been absorbed into government schools over the years in districts such as Srinagar, Kupwara, Baramulla, Anantnag and Ganderbal.
Many other FAT-linked schools either shut down or shifted ownership to local community figures or sympathisers, with FAT only retaining a limited supervisory role. Yet, according to officials, traces of Jamaat’s influence remained, prompting the latest decision to bring them fully under state control.
Aim of the takeover
Authorities say the purpose of this move is to protect the education of thousands of children while cutting any remaining ties between these schools and the banned organisation. Lessons will continue as usual, and the government promises that transparent, accountable systems will replace the older setups.
By stepping in, the administration aims to ensure educational stability, enhance oversight, and ultimately put an end to doubts surrounding the functioning of schools previously associated with Jamaat-e-Islami.