By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Srinagar: With the Kashmir Valley continuing to remain in a lock-down since July, the PDP-BJP led state government is now coming up with innovative methods of showing and imposing normalcy in the violence-ridden state.
From forcefully dictating public servants to join back their duties in respective departments to using crowds of people follow separatist Hurriyat as examples of people returning to usual business, the government has tried all to break the current impasse prevailing since last three months. However, none of these moves have seemed to work.
But this time, the state government has taken an extraordinary decision; it announced that the 10th and 12th standard exams will be conducted in November, despite the fact that no school has opened since last three months and that the conditions are unlikely to change in the coming months.
This decision has of course, caught students completely off guard: they haven’t been taught a major part of their syllabus either in schools or coaching centres due to the curfew running for months without any relaxation.
( Photo Courtesy: www.GreaterKashmir.com)
On September 23, the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) issued a formal date sheet for conducting class 10th and 12th annual examination in Kashmir division.
As per the notification issued by JBOSE in this regard, the annual examination for Class 10th will begin on November 15 2016 and conclude on November 28 2016 while for Class 12th the examination will begin on November 14 2016 and conclude on December 03 2016.
Initially, the exams were scheduled to be held in the first week of October 2016.
The government decision has received flak from all the quarters; Students, teachers, schools and civil society members.
Some students are demanding resolution of Kashmir issue before conduct of any exams whereas others are aghast at the conductance of exam without being taught.
On Monday, September 26, the 10th and 12th standard students in Bandipora held a protest demonstration against government for holding examinations. The students alleged that on one hand, the government continues to use brute force against them while also asking them to appear in the exams in order to show that normalcy had returned in the area.
The protesting students while displaying play cards “Justice for Insha, Justice for pellet survivors” and “We are ready to sacrifice our future for freedom” said, “ We won’t sit in exams until and unless Kashmir issue is resolved. We are ready to sacrifice our future for the same.”
Also on Tuesday, hundreds of students, both boys and girls, held protest demonstration in Ajas Eidgah in Bandipora district of North Kashmir threatening state government of boycotting the exams demanding political solution to Kashmir issue.
Thousands of other students from other districts of Kashmir division find themselves caught in the dilemma as to how they are going to write their exams when they have missed more than 60 percent of their syllabus.
Tofia Bhat, 16, a student of 10th Standard in a Srinagar based school is preparing a schedule for self study after JKBOSE announced exams dates.
“My last lecture in school was towards the end of June. Only 30% of the syllabus had been covered by that time. Since last three months, due to closure of schools and coaching centres due to curfew, I have not been able to even move a word forward after that last lecture. Initially I used to hope that schools will open today or tomorrow, but those hopes have also faded now.
How we are supposed to write in the exams when we haven’t been taught the same?” asks Tofia.
Imbesat Ahmed, co founder of Valley-based RISE institute is one of the few institutes that has resumed classes for students preparing for entrance examinations as well as for students who are due to appear in November board exams. The classes were started on Monday, September 26 despite the prevailing unrest in Kashmir.
“Students come in by 6 am and we complete their lecture before 10 am so that they can safely reach back to their homes. The students from districts outside Srinagar are finding it difficult to join the classes as their places are quite tense,” Imbesat told TwoCircles.net.
Valley-based social activist Kahlid Tufail spoke with TwoCircles.net over phone from Srinagar and alleged state government of shedding their responsibilities and risking lives of students and said, “There is no question of holding exams on time. Schools are yet to complete their syllabus. It is a ploy of PDP-BJP government to pressurise students to join back the schools and show it as sign of normalcy. Even if student goes to schools, there are high chances that he/she might get hurt or even killed by security forces that are using brute force against people.”
In the conflict-torn Valley, education has suffered substantially for the past two-three decades. Last month, the government had allowed security forces to camp in various Valley-based public schools. While the forces were withdrawn from some schools after hue and cry from people, some schools continue to remain occupied.
Also during the last two months, hundreds of students have opted to migrate from the Valley and taken admission in Jammu-based schools in order to avoid further loss in studies.