School education takes a hit after suspension of academic work

The authorities, on Sunday, said that centrally located SP Higher Secondary and MP Higher Secondary schools have emerged as the epicenters of the student protests this year. Classes in all educational institutions remained suspended for more than a week.

Classes remained suspended in all the educational institutions and colleges after protests erupted when Hizb Commander, Sabzar Bhat along with his close aide, Faizan Muzaffer were killed in an encounter in Tral on May 27.

Suspension of classes is not new, it started in April when police and paramilitary forces allegedly entered the premises of Govt Degree College (GDC), Pulwama and scores of students were injured in clashes. The very next day, students across the Kashmir valley, on the appeal of students unions, came out and protested against the excessive use of force in Pulwama.

The district administration quickly ordered the suspension of classes to avoid spread of protests in other educational institutions.

Last month, government took out a directive that students falling short of 90 per cent attendance will not be allowed to sit in the examinations, and directed the school authorities to “ensure that the syllabus is completed, even if there is a need for extra classes.”

According to report, in the last 36 days of student unrest, the higher secondary schools and the colleges in Srinagar have remained locked for almost 19 days. While in other areas, the school management has permitted classes.

However, right now, according to academicians and teachers it seems impossible for the government to stick to its order. “You see, there is hardly any classes going on, schools are shut and in this scenario how is the government expecting that they will impose the bar of 90 per cent attendance,” said a higher secondary teacher, wishing not be named, adding that “as per this 90 per cent bar, not a single student will be eligible to sit in the exams.”

On Saturday, South Kashmir Private Schools Association ‘criticised’ divisional administration for closing the educational institutions “in the name of law and order.”

The secretary of the association said that “on one hand 90 per cent attendance has been made compulsory on the other hand schools remain closed since the last 15 days.”

However, experts view the closure of educational institutions in a different way and say that it may lead to the degradation of the in place education system in the long run. “There are chances that the students from the Valley would migrate to other parts of the state for education and the local schools will get defunct,” said Fayaz Ahmad Mir, an educationist, adding that “the continuous closure of schools will also degrade the educational standards of the Valley schools.”

 

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