Nowhere one has come across a situation where a school to be shifted for making space for car parking. This situation has become popular in Jammu because of a national channel which took the lead in bringing the news in public. The issue came to the fore at time when governments, both state and central, have been emphasising on empowering girl child under the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padao’ campaign to encourage girl child and to thwart the social evil of female foeticide. The institute, a girls’ high school, within the city precincts is being demolished to make place for parking slot shows influence of power lobby behind the game. It looks even the planners who have been working on this project has a very myopic outlook towards spreading education and awareness. Even it reflects myopic outlook of the government machinery which has overruled the importance of education in comparison to the commerce or the business proposal. On the other hand in Kashmir schools have been burnt down by the miscreants who believe that education among the masses is a hurdle for their nefarious designs. The decision of demolishing the school has been announced two months ahead of the major examination in which over 250 students are scheduled to appear. Even if alternative arrangements have been made what was the hurry in implementing the parking projects? On the one hand the state government is providing security to the Valley schools here in Jammu the authorities are trying to change the schools into parking lots. The whole gamut of education in Jammu and Kashmir is in disarray with unrest in Kashmir Valley and uncertainty in Jammu. The affected children and their parents, political and non-political outfits may protest the move there is hardly any impact on the government over the impulsive actions. State government should give some pause and reconsider the decision before the issue snowballs into another controversy. Dislocating students at this moment would create multiple problems for them. Will the state government would go a step further and compensate them for the losses.
