Srinagar: Class 12th examinations began today amid tight security in and around 484 centres in violence hit Kashmir Valley, where about 30 educational institutions were gutted under mysterious fire incidents in the past 129 days of unrest. Thousands of anxious parents, who accompanied their wards on foot, in private vehicles and three-wheelers to the examinations centres, could be seen waiting outside, whereas public transport remained off the roads since July 9 due to strike called by the separatists.
Students and parents alleged inconvenience due to the non-availability of public transport in Kashmir where all educational institutions have remained closed due to general strike called by the separatists. “We had to leave our houses early in the morning as there is no public transport available and we don’t own a vehicle. The decision to conduct the examination by the government irrespective of the prevailing unrest is irresponsible. They just want to give an illusion of normalcy by conducting these board examinations,” Nasir Aslam, father of a class 12th students, said. Mr Aslam further said the government should have first tried to normalise the situation and then conducted examinations or at least made transport arrangements.
The feeling was echoed by other parents present at various examination centers in the city. “We were lucky to get a three-wheeler on our way to the examination centre, but he charged four times more than the normal rate. There was nothing I could have done as we had to reach the center on time,” Zara Akhtar, mother of a candidate, told UNI.
Hitting out at the government, she alleged that the current regime was conducting examinations only to break the present strike going on from past over four months. Both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference (HC) and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), spearheading the agitation since July 9, have already extended strike till November 17. (UNI)
