The Jammu & Kashmir Government’s decision to postpone school and college level examinations for six months in the backdrop of recent floods has drawn flak from stakeholders in the education sector.
The Cabinet decided to conduct the examinations in March reversing an earlier decision of the Ministry of Education to hold the examinations in October and November.The annual examinations are held in Kashmir Valley and winter zone of Jammu region from October to December. While the fresh classes on the elementary level start before the winter break in December, the higher classes resume after declaration of results in March. The Cabinet decision will completely overhaul the pattern.
Surprisingly, the decision is in contrast to Governor NN Vohra’s outlook who wanted resumption of working of educational institutions to bring in fresh air in the subdued and devastated Kashmir Valley. The Governor had last week asked the Divisional administration to chalk out a plan for early conduct of exams and resumption of routine school work.
Ironically, the Cabinet decision on Friday surpassed the Education Ministry’s decision to hold examinations from the last week of October. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, who holds the School Education portfolio, and attended by all but two Chief Education Officers, Director and Commissioner of the department besides the top officials of the Board of School Education (BOSE) that conducts provincial level examinations of Classes X and XII.
On the same day, the Governor attended the reopening ceremony of Army Public School that was closed down after the floods hit the XV Corps headquarters in Srinagar.
Observers say that the decision was taken in haste with total disregard to ground realities. “Most of the schools in Kashmir Valley were not hit by floods. Almost 90 per cent students were not affected. This ill-advised decision will affect all and sundry. It is better government announced closure of the entire education system,” said GN Var, general secretary of Private Schools United Front.
Var said that they would approach the High Court for the reversal of the Cabinet decision “that is bound to hit the foundations of education sector in Kashmir”.
“This decision will have far reaching consequences. Best alternative was to offer some concessions to the flood-affected students and schools rather than deflating the entire system,” said Muhammad Amin, a schoolteacher from south Kashmir.
“It seems that the Cabinet decision is influenced by a few elite schools, which suffered losses. Most of the children of influential people study in those schools,” said Shabir Ahmad, a medical practitioner. “I wonder how my children are going to study the same books in the same class for 15 long months”, he said.