Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 10: Minister for Education Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari today emphasized for requisite parental and societal counseling so that the youth do not go astray and miss on education.
The Minister said this while interacting with people during his day long tour of Batamaloo constituency where he inaugurated the newly constructed building for Government High School Malroo.
Accompanied by Noor Mohammad Sheikh, MLA Batamaloo, senior officers of Education and Public Works Departments, the Minister visited various schools in the area where he took stock of infrastructural needs besides requirement of teaching and ministerial staff.
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister expressed dismay and surprise over the recurrent and engineered incidents of stone pelting and road-side agitations involving students of high and higher secondary schools. “The students should have been busy and involved in academic and co-curricular activities rather being chased by law enforcing agencies on the roads. This is really a dismaying and disturbing situation which needs to be addressed through coordinated and vigilant efforts of teachers, parents and the society,” Bukhari remarked.
He appealed students to return to their classes and not to waste their precious academic time on roads. “I fail to understand on whom they are pelting stones? Perhaps we live in one society and it is beyond one’s comprehension as who is pelting stones on whom?” he asked and added that the time has come for the people to ponder over the prevailing scenario where a whole generation is being pushed into academic disempowerment.
The Education Minister informed that the Government was prompt in its action against trespassing in Pulwama Degree College. “We ordered a time bound enquiry and completed it in 8 days and it was followed up with tangible action. I fail to understand why are the students now on roads?,” he said.
The Minister said that the students have every right to seek redress of their grievances through peaceful protest. “I have no problem if they protest peacefully for genuine issues and I am here to listen to their grievances,” the Minister said and added that by coming out on the roads and pelting stones on unsuspecting citizens, the students are doing no good either to themselves or to the society. He said some outsiders try to exploit the gullible students and try to create law and order problems under the garb of student protests.
“We have lost precious academic time last year. It hurts me as a father to see children not attending to their classes. I once again appeal them to go back to their schools and colleges and focus on their studies instead of pushing themselves into darkness,” the Minister pleaded.
On the demand of teachers and locality, the Minister approved on spot demands like Smart Classroom, Kitchen, Laboratory, Computer room, Library, and a Herbal Garden for GHS Malroo.
He also approved the use of two rooms of community hall for Health Center which is otherwise running in an unsafe structure in Malroo.
Later, Bukhari visited various educational institutions in Malroo, Mujgund and the adjoining areas.
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