Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Sept 3: As schools are shut for last two months and exams are nearing in, community level tuition centres have come up across Kashmir with prayer and marriage halls being converted into class rooms to help the students to overcome the losses they have suffered.
The educated youth from varying professions have come to the rescue of the worrying students who are finding it hard to complete their syllabus in these trying times when the academic session is ending and exams are round the corner.
Across the Valley, the prayer and marriage halls have been turned into temporary class rooms wherein an overwhelming number of student throng to take lessons. The students pass through lanes and by-lanes to bypass the security barricades and stone pelting clashing spots between protesters and security forces to reach the tuition centres.
Even as Education Minister Nayeem Akhtar last month said that exams would be conducted on time, the Director School Education Kashmir, Dr Shah Faesal, however, told Excelsior that the decision whether to hold exams on time or not is still under discussion.
In Old City’s Rainawari, a team of twelve young men from varying professions voluntarily teach nearly two hundred students who come from neighbouring areas like Saida Kadal, Daramsala, Raiteng, Naidyar, Kalai Andar and Jogilankar every day from 8 am to 12 noon. They teach at two different locations within the same locality in Hasanabad area.
A special prayer hall, also called Imam Barah, meant for the religious functions is being used to teach primary classes and a local Islamic school, Babul Ilm is being used to teach higher secondary classes. “Since at secondary level there are different streams, we have shifted it to a local madrasa (Islamic seminary) wherein we teach them in separate rooms. People who teach them are all teachers or have done at least post-graduation in the related fields,” a volunteer said.
Shuja Ali, 36, who is a computer engineer by profession and a voluntary teacher, said he felt that such initiative was important. “It is the end of the sessions and children have to write the final exams. This is the crucial time for them as many are appearing for the board exams. We are trying our bit to make up for the loss,” he said.
Shuja said that nearly sixty percent of the syllabus of their students was complete and the rest forty percent will be completed in the coming days.
Another teacher said that the psychological implication of the ongoing voilence was immense and they counsel students before joining the classes. “The students are facing a worst situation. On one side the unrest is taking a toll on them and on the other side the stress of exams is worrying them. We try to pacify the impact by giving them moral support,” he said.
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