Attendance dips,J&K threatens derecognition

On Monday,the valley schools re-opened after over 100 days but fewer students turned up. The attendance saw a further dip on Tuesday. Only 13 students had turned up at S P Higher Secondary School.

“Education is very important part of our life,” said a student. “But securing one’s life is more important. How can we trust the security of police and CRPF men who killed more than 30 students in the past three months?”

In fact,several schools that were open on Monday were shut on Tuesday. The DPS at Athwajan on the outskirts of the city was closed as its officials accused the government of failing to provide security to their school buses and children. Their three buses were attacked by the stone-throwing protesters on Monday.

The Valley’s top missionary schools — Tyndale Biscoe,Mallinson Girls School,Presentation Convent and Burn Hall — that saw a substantial attendance on Monday registered a steep dip on Tuesday.

Most of the private schools — numbering 2,047 across Kashmir valley — remained closed,with the private schools’ association saying the “safety of the children is paramount” to them and it is impossible to open schools during curfew and shutdown days.

Though a strict curfew was in place in Srinagar and several other parts of the Kashmir valley,security personnel allowed the movement of students and teachers. In some places,however,teachers complained of harassment by police and paramilitary forces.

“The CRPF men didn’t allow me to go to the school,” said a government teacher in Sopore,who didn’t want to be named. “One of my colleagues was also beaten up and he has suffered injuries in his arm.”

The women teachers also accused the CRPF and policemen of harassment. “Though the policemen on duty allow the male teachers to go to schools,they stop the women teachers on different pretexts,” said a Srinagar teacher. “They ask weird questions.”