Srinagar: Thousands of students appeared in the annual Board examinations on Monday in the unrest-hit Kashmir, where life is showing signs of limping back to normalcy.
According to the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education (JKBOSE), almost 95 per cent students appeared in the examination today. They said out of 31,964 students enrolled for appearing in the said examination 30,213 students appeared in today’s paper.
There was a significant increase in movement of people and transport across the Valley as the annual board examinations began today, officials said here.
About 484 centres have been set up for about 48,000 candidates for class 12 examination across Kashmir division.
The government had decided to hold the exams as scheduled despite demands by parents that they be put off as the unrest had disrupted educational activities in the Valley.
Massive security arrangements are in place for the smooth conduct of the examinations. However, there were no restrictions on the movement of people anywhere in the Valley, the officials said.
Giving details, the BOSE authorities said that in Srinagar out of 5,741 students 5,417 (96 per cent) appeared in the examination today. Similarly, in Ganderbal out of 1,259 students 1,175 (94 per cent) appeared, in Budgam out of 3,484 students 3,309 (98 per cent) appeared, in Anantnag out of 4,929 students 4,740 (98 per cent) appeared, in Kulgam out of 1,483 students 1,379 (93 per cent) appeared, in Pulwama out of 2,646 students 2,506 (95 per cent) appeared, in Shopian out of 1,674 students 1,568 (94 per cent) appeared, in Bandipora out of 1,404 students 1,303 (94 per cent) appeared, in Baramulla out of 4,912 students 4,603 (94 per cent) appeared and in Kupwara out of 4,322 students 4,024 (96 per cent) appeared.
Along with the heavy rush of vehicles, shops were also open in areas like civil lines and outskirts of the city as well as in few of the rural areas in other districts of Kashmir.
Inter-district cabs were also plying on different routes, the officials said.
Many vendors had put up their stalls along TRC Chowk-Batamaloo axis through Lal Chowk city centre, while banks were also open across the Valley and witnessed rush of customers.
However, many shops, fuel stations and other business establishments in other areas of the Valley were shut due to a separatist sponsored strike.
The separatists have been issuing weekly protest programmes since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in July.
No protest can interrupt students’ career: Jitendra
Jammu: As students in Kashmir appear for their Board examinations from Monday, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that no form of protest has the right to “interrupt or interfere” with the career of children.
“As I said whatever be the cause, even if it is the holiest of the holy, for which the protest is being carried out, nobody has the right or prerogative to interfere or interrupt the career of children,” he told reporters here on Monday.
The annual Board examinations is expected to be an acid test for the PDP-BJP coalition government in unrest-hit Jammu and Kashmir which announced the schedule for examinations despite opposition from various quarters, including the student community.
The Union Minister of State in the PMO said that the students in Kashmir have realised that the people instigating them for protests have their own children lodged in the best of educational institutions across the country and abroad.
“…That is why they have come out on the streets asking for the schools to reopen. This has also exposed the duplicity of so-called Kashmir protagonists who try to instigate such kind of a situation because their own children have been safely lodged in best of the educational institutes across the country and abroad,” he said.
Singh said that the government was concerned about the academic career of the children and that with the co-operation of students and their parents, the examinations would be conducted smoothly.
The separatists have been issuing weekly protest programmes since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in an alleged police encounter in July in the Valley.
Adding on to the people’s woes, many ceasefire violations have also been reported along the International Border. A total of 26 persons, including 14 security personnel, have been killed in the cross-border firing.
“We cannot wait for the last gun to fall silent, we have no time to waste at least for the children’s career and future,” Singh said, adding that it was a message to all those who tend to take the youth of the country for granted.
On the Opposition’s widespread criticism about the Centre’s demonetisation move, the BJP leader said that the parties were devoid of issues and would never succeed to sway the people.
“…They (Opposition) will not succeed for the simple reason that the 130 crore people of this country are convinced with the sincerity, honesty and courage of conviction with which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken this decision,” he said.
Singh said that any kind of allegation devoid of evidence did not merit a response.
“You would see the people are ready to go through certain amount of inconvenience during this transition period and they are whole heartedly welcoming the decision taken by the Prime Minister,” he added.