JAMMU: Ongoing border tension and mass evacuation of residents away from their homes in the forwards areas is going to have an adverse impact on the education of students in the coming days.
After India carried out surgical strikes on terror launch pads inside PoK, the Centre has directed the State Government to vacate villages falling within the radius of 5-10 kilometers of the International border and Line of Control and also close down schools for indefinite period to accommodate displaced population.
Ahead of the half yearly examination if school would continue to remain shut and the region witnesses prolonged deadlock along the border, the poor school going children would suffer the most.
At present all educational institutions in border areas of Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Akhnoor, Rajouri and Poonch are covered under the ambit of the latest order issued by respective District Development Commissioners of different of several districts.
Along with these children, the teachers are also paying heavy price as in the absence of classes they are supposed to report in the schools like any other routine day and stay back.
As of now, the parents of children are a worried lot as they cannot afford to compromise on the safety of children not ignore their studies. “Our children can afford to stay away from their class rooms for some time but if the period extends further they are bound to suffer, worried parents camping in relief camps told STATE TIMES.
The parents alleged no one in the State Education Department would organise extra classes for these students of government run schools to cover the left over syllabus nor anyone in the Education Department would give any grace marks to children to accommodate them after the restoration of normalcy. “Our children have suffered in the past and would suffer till the State government realises their own folly”.
Rajesh Kumar, who is taking shelter in a relatives home claimed, “After normalcy would be restored, the administrators would question the logic behind awarding grace marks to children and would insist on evaluating their performances on the basis of their marks scored in the final examination without realising the circumstances under which these border residents and their children were surviving at the peak of the hostilities.
Another group of parents alleged that our political leaders have also failed us. Till date the students from border areas have never been extended the benefit of staying in border areas nor have any seats been reserved for them unlike those who stay along the Line of Control.