Adil Lateef
SRINAGAR, Apr 30: A year after 32 schools were gutted – partially as well as completely – by miscreants during violent phase of unrest, the year 2017 seems no different and the education sector of the Kashmir continued to face brunt with schools being gutted and academic work suffering continuously.
Due to 2016 unrest, the education sector of the Valley like other sectors suffered major blow as not only classwork remained suspended for around five months but miscreants also set ablaze 32 schools, majority of them in South Kashmir, according to Government statistics. After remaining closed during winter break from December till February, it was expected that the academic session will go on smoothly this year but that seems difficult as of now.
Soon after Government schools were designated as polling stations for Parliamentary by-polls on Srinagar and Anantnag constituencies, unidentified persons began setting ablaze polling station designate schools in South and Central Kashmir districts and from April 7 to April 11, five schools were set on fire, resulting in either partial or complete damage to them.
The dangerous trend of burning schools resumed on April 7 when unidentified persons set a Government School in Yargund village of Narbal in Magam area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district on fire. The next incident of arson occurred at Arihal on April 9 in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district where the arsonists torched local Government Higher Secondary School, which was designated as polling station by Election Commission of India (ECI).
On a single day, the unidentified arsonists also set ablaze two Government schools in restive Shopian district with one at Rawalpora village and another at Ayanpora village. It didn’t end in South Kashmir only but also spread to Ganderbal district where another Government school, a polling station designate, was set on fire by arsonists at Araw village of Kangan.
Although the by-poll on Srinagar Parliamentary constituency were over while it was deferred on Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, but the setting schools on fire has not stopped. According to police sources, arsonists set a Government High School on fire in Chanapora village of Tangmarg during the night of April 22 but it was partially damaged and rest of the building was saved by locals.
Private Schools Association of Kashmir (PSAK) chairman, GN Var, said due to prevailing situation, there is confusion and chaos in Valley’s education sector. “It is a disastrous and grim situation for our education sector. The unrest has now become part of our life and we are trying to bring education back on track but to some extent the Government is also to be blamed as it is not allowing us to work in our own way,” he said.
He said that ideally there should be 130 to 140 working days in each academic session but there were only 83 working days last year. Expressing concern, he said: “Given the present situation in Kashmir, it seems we won’t even get these 83 days this year.” Var said in normal circumstances there used to be around 40 working days in educational institutes during March/April but this time it is much lower due to certain factors including flood-like situation and civilian killings.
The students at college and university levels have also suffered academically. An engineering student speaking on the condition of anonymity said due to prevailing situation and last year’s unrest they are technically one year behind and there is no surety about future. “There are shutdowns, curfews, killings and other incidents. The students are suffering at all levels. It is they who are being killed and subjected to other atrocities,” the engineering student said.
In the aftermath of police action against students in Pulwama Degree College, the classwork in majority of universities, colleges, high and higher secondary schools remained suspended for last two weeks during which thousands of students held unprecedented protests and clashed with security forces. Although the protests have subsided now but the situation continued to remain tense and the uncertainty looms large over the education sector.
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