Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 3: The Central Government has taken serious cognizance of closure of all educational institutions in the Kashmir valley for past about four months now and burning of about 26 school buildings by the miscreants, which has badly affected the education of students as their examinations were round-the-corner.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Government of India has offered to provide cover by the para-military forces, wherever required, for re-opening of the educational institutions apart from all other necessary help, is asked for by the State Government.
Pointing out that the Centre was equally perturbed as was the State Government on closure of all educational institutions for past about four months now, which could spoil career of many young students, it has conveyed to the State that it was ready for all kind of help the Jammu and Kashmir Government wants (from the Centre) for resumption of the education sector, hit hard by the shutdown called by separatists in the aftermath of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen divisional commander Burhan Wani.
The Centre Government, according to sources, wants all educational institutions to be made functional in the Kashmir valley within the next 10 days and, for the purpose, it was ready to extend any kind of Central assistance the State Government required, which include security cover.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officials have already discussed the matter with top brass of CRPF and were ready to provide security cover to the schools by the para-military force in all vulnerable areas provided that such a help was sought by the State Government.
“The Centre has offered to provide additional forces of CRPF for Kashmir exclusively for deployment as security cover to the Government institutions as it didn’t want to disturb present deployment, which was busy in tackling the protests, which have subsided to quite an extent,” sources said.
Asserting that separatists should have, on their own, exempted educational institutions, sources admitted that some back channel efforts to this effect didn’t materialize and the Centre now wants to act tough as far as closure of schools was concerned as it (prolonged closure of the schools) was sending very wrong message the country wide apart from causing immense loss of studies.
“In view of closure of educational institutions, coaching centres etc since July 9, large number of Kashmiri students have already migrated to Jammu City and New Delhi for studies as they didn’t foresee an immediate end to the impasse,” they pointed out and said only those students have shifted out of Kashmir, who were well-off while common students have no options but to sit at home and suffer.
About 26 Government schools have been burnt down by the miscreants during past few days with a view to enforce closure of educational institutions. Sources said though it could take lot of time to re-construct the extensively damaged school buildings, the Government has put a plan in place to run the schools from alternate Government accommodation.
“The alternate accommodation for all 26 Government school buildings burnt down by the miscreants has been identified,” sources said, adding this accommodation would be used to temporary run the schools pending re-construction of the damaged buildings.
The Government of India’s deep concern over re-opening of educational institutions comes in the wake of reports that students and their parents in the Kashmir valley were deeply perturbed over loss of nearly four months of their studies during separatists-sponsored shutdown especially at a time when examinations were round-the-corner.
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