Schools reopen in Kashmir Valley after three months

Srinagar, Sept 27 (PTI) After remaining shut for 100
days, schools in Kashmir Valley in India reopened Monday with
students and teachers given a free passage by security forces
despite curfew and restrictions in many parts.
However, attendance was thin against the backdrop of
hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's call to
parents not to send their wards to schools and colleges.
The education system in the valley had become a
collateral damage in the ongoing unrest, which began on June
11 with the killing of a 17-year-old student in police tear
smoke shelling.
In order to ensure the smooth functioning of schools,
the state Government had pressed a fleet of state road
transport corporation buses into service.
More than 170 buses were deployed on 11 city routes
for facilitating the movement of students and school staff.
The attendance of the students, however, was just
around 20 per cent but authorities were hopeful that that it
would improve from tomorrow.
Kashmir Education Minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed
yesterday announced a comprehensive plan for restarting the
learning process and holding of annual examinations in the
Valley.
"We have formulated a plan to reopen all the schools
in rural as well as urban areas including Srinagar city from
tomorrow," the minister said.
He said the department will ensure that students of
the Valley do not lose a precious academic year due to the
ongoing unrest.
Geelani appealed to people on Sunday to strictly
observe civil curfew when schools and colleges would resume
their normal
functioning in the Valley. The separatist leader also appealed
to teachers and the non-teaching staff to stay at home.
In view of the diktat issued by Geelani, many private
schools decided to adopt a wait and watch strategy.
"We will see how the first day pans out. If government
schools function normally, we will also start from Tuesday but
at the moment we cannot risk our students," Mukhtar Ahmad, who
runs a private school, said.
Despite tight security deployment around the schools,
there have been reports of some people threatening the
management of some schools in Batamaloo area of the city.
However, police officials say they were not aware of
such threats. PTI MIJ
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