Education caught between ‘devil and the deep sea’ in Kashmir
Srinagar: The functioning of educational institution in Kashmir has become a challenging job for the authorities given the political uncertainty prevailing in Valley.
On Thursday, educational institutions in most of the districts were closed in wake of the gun fight that broke between militants and government forces in Shatgund village of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
Barely, minutes of the rumors about scholar turned militant Manan Wani getting trapped in an encounter, the authorities closed all the educational institutions in the district.
The decision was followed by other districts like Baramulla, Bandipora and Srinagar wherein the district magistrates ordered for closure of educational institutions.
The colleges and higher secondary schools (HSS) in Pattan, Sopore sub division and Baramulla town remained closed for the day while as the authorities in Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Awantipora also ordered the closure of the varsity for the day.
The educational institutions were closed as a precautionary measure to avoid student protest against the militant killings by government forces during the encounter, said an official of the varsity.
Pertinently,scholar-turned-militant Mannan Wani of Tikipora Sogam in Kupwara was among two militants killed in a gunfight with the government forces. The other slain militant was identified as Ashiq Hussain Zargar of Tulwari Langate.
The educational institutions were closed in some district at a time when the authorities have entrusted the concerned school heads of both government and private schools to complete the syllabus of students so that they can appear in their annual class 10th and 12th exams which commences from the last week of the month.
The educational institutions become the first casualty when authorities are apprehensive of any law and order situation in the Valley. The trend for closing educational institutions started from April 2017 when a police party entered a college campus in Pulwama and left around 50 students injured by beating them for being part of protests.
Meanwhile, the students of Kashmir University (KU) Zakura campus on Thursday staged a protest against the killing of scholar-turned-militant Manan Wani and his associate during a gunfight with the government forces.
The students assembled on the campus and raised pro freedom slogans. Later, they protesting students also offered funeral prayers in absentia for the slain militants.
Following the protests, the Kashmir University (KU) administration decided to suspend the class work in the main campus as well as in all other satellite campuses.
“This is for the information of all the concerned that due to the prevailing conditions in the valley, the class work for October 12 in main campus and satellite campuses shall remain suspended,” reads a notice issued by deputy registrar, academic affairs of the Kashmir University.
The authorities in district Bandipora also decided to extend the closure of educational institutions for one more day.
KV Correspondent
