PSAJK petitions SC, seeks 4G internet restoration

Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Jan 22: Private Schools Association of Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJK) today said to have filed a writ petition before the Supreme Court seeking restoration of 4G mobile internet services in J&K.
As per a statement issued here, the Association said that the restrictions on the high-speed internet has severely impacted the quality of education for lakhs of students in the entire Jammu and Kashmir.
“Our students have been suffering since 05 August 2019 due to prolonged school closures which were first imposed in the aftermath of abrogation of Article 370 and then extended on account of the COVID-19
pandemic,” the association pleaded in the petition.
It added that the children of Jammu & Kashmir have already lost two academic years because “it is impossible to conduct online classes using video-conferencing tools like Zoom or WebEx at 2G mobile internet speed.”
Due to the internet restrictions, the association said, many students have been forced to leave their families and live outside Jammu & Kashmir to prepare for competitive exams.
“Those without such privilege are left to compete with students from the rest of a country, on an unequal field,” PSAJK said.
It also said that the denial of access to education has taken a toll on the mental health of children in Jammu & Kashmir and they are suffering from high levels of stress, anxiety and depression.
“For these reasons, we have once again approached the Supreme Court seeking enforcement of the fundamental right to education guaranteed by the Constitution and we hope the court will restore 4G mobile internet access to protect the future of our students,” it said.