Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 17: During nearly two and half month unrest in Kashmir, a silent migration has once again started. But, this time the migrants are students, whose career is being jeopardized by the separatists and other vested interests with continued closure of almost all educational institutions including colleges, higher secondary and other schools in both Government and private sectors.
Meanwhile, acting tough, the Union Home Ministry has promised all help to the State Government in running educational institutions in the Valley, which have been shut for past two and half months coinciding with start of unrest after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in Kokernag.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi have held detailed deliberations with their own officials Incharge of Jammu and Kashmir and Intelligence chiefs, who, in turn, have spoken to top brass of J&K Government on the measures to resume working of educational institutions, which were shut for past over 70 days, thus, seriously affecting career of the students right from primary to classes of higher learning.
Sources said the MHA has offered full support, including deployment of para-military personnel around educational institutions and the college and school buses to ferry students to and fro houses but the State was yet to take a call on it.
Citing that Staff Selection Commission (SSC) test was successfully conducted few days back in the Valley in similar manner by running buses with para-military forces and deploying security outside the examination centre despite reluctance of a section of the State administration, sources said there was 99 per cent attendance in the test across the Valley, which was clear indication that students want to study and working of colleges and schools.
However, for the purpose, a similar strategy was required, which was being enforced jointly by Central and State Governments as in the absence of resumption of educational institutions, silent migration of students has begun from various parts of the Valley to Jammu region, mainly the City.
“Nearly 15,000 students have sought admission in private educational institutions during the past few days so far while many others have approached management of the schools for admissions on phone. Some of the students have reached Jammu along with their family members too,” sources said, adding that this trend was likely to pick up in the coming days if the present unrest continued.
While some students have been sent alone by their families, some others have come with parents or other elderly people, they said pointing out that the “silent migration” is presently confined to well off families but slowly middle-class could also take similar route to save career of their kin especially those studying in higher classes and have to appear in UPSC, PSC, NEET exams etc late this year or early next year as even private coaching centres were not operating in the Valley.
The State Government has made it clear that exams schedule in November will be held on time and there will be no change in session.
Some people from the Valley have their houses in Jammu while others have shifted to houses of their relatives or friends. Others were taking accommodation on rent and seeking Paying Guest facilities for their students. There were reports that some of the students with or without their parents might have even shifted to New Delhi or other States for higher studies from the Valley.
According to sources, the Government colleges or schools have fixed deadline for admissions, which has already expired. In view of this, the “migrant students” have to knock doors of private colleges and schools only.
The NIT Srinagar students were the other worst sufferers. They have already knocked the doors of Central Ministers in New Delhi seeking resumption of working of the NIT on the ground that they were facing threat of losing one semester if the classes were not started immediately.
Noting that the Union Home Ministry as well as an All Party Delegation (APD) that visited Jammu and Kashmir on September 4 and 5 have called for immediate restoration of entire educational structure in the Valley, sources said the Union Government as well as APD had also suggested that the Government schools could be provided security cover, wherever required.
“A beginning should be made by deploying buses to pick up students from particular places to educational institutions and drop them back. The buses could move with guards. Similarly, the colleges and schools could be provided security cover. If the experiment was successful, a similar process could be followed across the Valley,” they said, adding the Union Home Ministry has already made it clear to the State Government that there was no dearth of additional para-military forces to restore normalcy in the Valley and run educational institutions.
Asserting that both Centre and State Governments were on same page on working of colleges and schools, sources said of four major suggestions adopted by the All Party Delegation, one of them read as: “serious efforts would be made to resume schools, offices and business establishments with full support and cooperation from the Centre”.
However, sources admitted that nearly 12 days after the delegation’s visit, the State administration in the Valley has failed to make much headway in restoring working of educational institutions in the State.
With two and half months of crucial education lost, the students from the Kashmir valley narrated to the Excelsior on phone that though all of them were sufferers, the Science students in the colleges were the worst sufferer as they had to perform practical. Students of all streams said their colleges and schools have completed only 50 per cent syllabus.
“The problem has also been compounded by mismatch in academic calendar of the two provinces (Kashmir and Jammu) as well as available options viz-a-viz J&K BOSE, CBSE. It also puts a greater financial burden on parents in view of dual expenditure for admission fees, tuition fee and other allied expenses,” sources said.
A Principal of Government Higher Secondary School said that parents of more than 50-60 students have approached him for admission in the school so far.
“School Education Department is contemplating additional classes with morning and evening shifts in view of alarming increase in migration of students”, he said, pleading anonymity.
Farhat Muzaffar, a Master in another Government school said “Special compensatory classes have been started for migrant students and school management is making all out efforts for timely completion of syllabi” adding that “parents are facing tremendous hardships in finding accommodation which in many cases has delayed admissions”.
Manzoor Ahmed Wani, who shifted his three children from Delhi Public School, Srinagar to a private school in Jammu said that Government should make an extra-mile effort to save the career of lakhs of students which is being wasted due to repeated calls of shutdown and resultant restrictions.
“Both the Government and separatist organizations need to give a serious thought to devise a mechanism to ensure opening of schools as this is going to be a historic loss of generations which cannot be compensated or undone” said Mushtaq Parry of Budgam who admitted his daughter in Class XII at a Govt School in Jammu.
Parents of migrant students are also forming a group for voicing their concern against repeated shutdown calls and restrictions leading to prolonged closure of schools which has forced them to migrate to Jammu and other parts putting the students in mental trauma and also adding to financial burden for poor families.
Many schools in Jammu have waived the admission fee and admitted the students charging only tuition fee as a goodwill gesture in crisis. However, it remains to be seen as to whether a breakthrough is achieved for opening schools in coming days as majority of the families were unable to afford migration and will be left with no option but to settle with loss of education of students of this year.
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