SRINAGAR, Sep 26: Hours after state government formally announced opening of all educational institutions and made a fervent appeal to parents to send their wards to schools from tomorrow, chairman Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Geelani, termed it an attempt to “sabotage the ongoing Movement”.
The octogenarian separatist leader appealed to the parents not to send their children to school tomorrow. He also asked teaching community to remain indoors in order to send a message to New Delhi that “we are not going to fall into their (New Delhi) trap”.
Geelani said that out of 109 civilians, who fell to bullets in the last four months of unrest in the valley, most of them were students pursuing their studies at various schools and colleges.
He said, if allowed, New Delhi would not shy away from “digging the graves of entire Kashmir youth”.
“They (New Delhi) are not at all concerned about the future of our school going children,” he said. “They have raked up this issue only to weaken our struggle and put brakes on the Movement.”
“Thousands of Kashmiri youth, who are languishing behind bars, had also wanted to study, but their careers were spoiled for ever,” he said.
Urging the people to strictly observe civil curfew tomorrow, he said that the “Quit Jammu Kashmir campaign” was giving sleepless nights to the New Delhi’s corridors of power.
The Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman said that the Kashmiri nation had always given preference to freedom above all other things.
“I am sure the people will continue to lend their full support to the movement,” he said.
Geelani expressed his gratitude to employees, transporters, traders, labourers for extending their full cooperation in effective implementation of the conglomerate’s protest programme, “despite all odds”.
“Even the losses they suffered have not dented their hopes and aspirations,” he said.
Lashing out at the state government for imposing severe curfew in the valley, Geelani said the Hurriyat Conference (G) was concerned about the hardships faced by the people.
“While preparing the shutdown calendar we keep a day or too off for people to purchase essential commodities,” he said. “The strict enforcement of curfew speaks volumes about the state terrorism. It’s a deliberate attempt on part of the government to further compound the miseries of the people.”
Giving details about the conglomerate’s protest calendar, Geelani said that Hurriyat Conference (G) had issued 75 shutdown calls since it gave the call for “Quit Jammu Kashmir campaign” on June 24, 2010.
“As many as 76 days were lost due to curfew and restrictions enforced by the government in the last 105 days,” he said.
Earlier, addressing a press conference here today, minister for school education, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, said that the government had made elaborate arrangements for teachers, students and non-teaching staff for making all the educational institutions functional from tomorrow. He said the academic year exams would be held from September 30, 2010 as per the schedule and calendar issued by the department of Education and J&K Board of School Education (BOSE).
Flanked by commissioner secretary education, Naseema Lankar, the minister said majority of the people and parents of students were of the opinion that students’ academic career of students should not be wasted.
Regarding the availability of transport for the convenience of teachers and students, Peerzada said that additional buses were pressed into service on various routes in the summer capital for which the Divisional Commissioner had already issued road map.
He said that all buses of private and government run schools would also run wherever the schools are located.
Peerzada said that some affluent families had sent their wards outside the state.
He also welcomed central government’s announcement for giving Rs 100 crore education package for revival of education sector in the state.
“It will help further strengthen education scenario in the state particularly in the valley,” he said.
The minister reiterated that 90 percent schools remained functional in rural areas during the last four months of unrest.
“To bring the students of city and towns at par with rural areas, the maximum choices will be given in question papers and the schedule limit of the three hours time of examination will be enhanced to accommodate such students who are affected,” he said. “If any particular student is not able to attend the examination, his re-examination application will be considered positively on merits basis.”
Regarding the examination schedule, the minister said that the 3rd and 5th primary examinations would be conducted on cluster and zonal bases, while 8th class examinations was scheduled to be held from October 20, 2010 for one lakh students of the valley.
He said BOSE had also issued examination calendar for 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th classes. Examination for 9th class is scheduled to be held from October 14th to November 6th, 2010, while as 10th (regular class) examination would be held from October 25th to November 15. Examination for 11th (regular) would be held from November 1 to November 29, while as 12th class (regular) examination would be held from October 2 to December 5, he said.
He said 10th class private exams would be held from October 27 to December 14 while as examination for 12th private would be held from September 13 to October 31.
He said the BOSE has set up 520 examination centers for 88, 895 secondary class regular candidates, while as 435 examination centres have been set up for 47,000 candidates of 12th class.
The Board has also finalized the arrangements for conducting examination of private students of 10th and 12th classes for which 700 centres and 280 centres have been set up respectively for the convenience of the students in which one lakh children are appearing in 10th class while 55,000 are appearing in 12th class examination, he added.
Regarding practical exams, the minister said that the 10th class practical exams would start from October 14 and 12th class practical exams from October 18, 2010 in their respective schools.
Pertinently, incessant protests and shutdowns coupled with curfews and restrictions in the valley for the last 109 days had forced many parents to send their wards out of the state for continuing their studies.
Over 200 students of Delhi Public School (DPS) Srinagar had flown to New Delhi in two flights on August 29.
Kashmir has been reeling under unprecedented spell of unrest for the last 109 days, leaving 108 civilian dead and over a hundred maimed for life.
The ongoing agitation has hit the education sector, particularly government institutes, hard. Some well-known private schools had opted for e-teaching to make up the loss; however, students of government schools are most affected.
In the wake of prolonged strikes and curfews, valley-based schools had taken various initiatives to prepare students for approaching examinations. DPS had uploaded lessons and assignments on its website, while Tyndale Biscoe School had asked parents to collect home assignments for their wards from the school.
Pertinently, the minister for school education has been ad nauseam claiming that most of the schools in villages of Kashmir were functional.
However, going by the ground assessment the minister’s claim seems just another attempt to undermine the gravity of the situation. The minister’s audacious claim was ironically belied by the officials of his own department, who termed the statement as “blatant lie”.
To make up for the academic loss, most of the educated youth of the valley, including some government teachers, have started special teaching academies in their respective villages and towns to help students to complete their syllabus and prepare them for upcoming examinations.
The shutdowns and curfews had forced the closure of schools in early 1990s during the heydays of militancy.
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