Coronavirus: Students aghast as schools suspended in Kashmir

New Delhi: Over 1,800 people, including tourists, are under observation in Jammu and Kashmir for coronavirus. After all that Kashmir has been through, coronavirus has emerged as the biggest stumbling block to daily life in the Valley. The contagion has forced Kashmiri students to stay indoors as, on March 11, the government decided to suspend public and private schools, colleges and universities till March 31. Board exams will be held as per schedule in the erstwhile state, however.

On March 12, a school in southern Kashmir’s Kulgam area was found violating the government order. Bashir Ahmad Trali, who’s a deputy Chief Education Officer (CEO) Kulgam, said the school was ‘sealed’. “This major step was taken to ensure the safety of our students. I request the institutions, particularly those falling in the domain of Kulgam, to follow this government directive strictly, for the benefit of students,” he said.

The problem in Kashmir is compounded by the fact that schools had remained closed for months after its statehood was revoked on August 5, 2019. And schools only re-opened on February 24 after a lengthy winter vacation. Mohammad Younis Malik, who’s the Director of School Education in Kashmir, shed light on the territory’s preparedness.

Younis recently urged teachers to do their best to complete syllabus in the allotted time. But reactions from students about the measures were mixed. Grade 9 pupil Zaid Mushtaq was eager to make up for lost time following the lengthy winter break. But he was thoroughly disappointed, taking the long walk back home, moments after the pronouncement from the administration on Wednesday. “I was enthusiastic to rejoin school and restart my education. But, now I have to again stay indoors. I feel like I am being forced to quit school,” Zaid said. He also said his friend had failed the examination after struggling to complete the syllabus amid the communications and internet blockade that accompanied last year’s statehood revocation.

Humaira, a research scholar, told Gulf News: “Is our future bright, really? See, schools have re-opened recently after eight months and don’t you think it’s a massive loss for students who are eyeing to join top institutions? The biggest issue is that there have been no cases reported from Kulgam. But despite this, the authorities have decided to close down the institutions for little over two weeks.”

Internet ban

Students were livid when asked about the unrelenting, months-long internet ban, saying the decision affected their studies tremendously. In the politically-troubled region, students have often had to bear the brunt of the situation. For the past many months, they have been enduring what has been described as the longest communications shutdown the modern world has ever seen, with mobile internet being restored only after 213 days.

“In contemporary times, the internet has become a basic necessity. But the way authorities blocked the services brought misery upon us. We were racing against time and ended up full of anxiety,” Momina, a college student told Gulf News.

Indeed, following the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A, students in the valley remained distant from education. And in the past, their studies have also been affected by prolonged strikes.

Looking at the bright side

But not all are taking a dim view of the situation. Jazima 26, a college student said: “It is preferable to stay indoors rather than face the fatal illness that is spreading like wildfire. But the education department should also take into consideration what students have gone through during the recent clampdown.”

College student Kauser, 22, said, “The novel coronavirus is not ‘novel’ to the people of Kashmir in general and the students of Kashmir in particular”, implying that students have been facing similar constraints even before the outbreak of the virus, and that this is not new for them.

On the other hand, Nodal Officer Coronavirus J&K, Dr Shafqat Khan, has advised people to maintain personal hygiene and avoid public gatherings. Recently, Director of National Health Mission (NHM) Bhupinder Kumar briefed the media in Jammu by laying out certain procedures. Bhupinder reiterated that two Covid-19 lab testing facilities had been constituted at GMC, Jammu and in SKIMS, Srinagar. Besides control rooms, the surveillance teams are closely monitoring the situation across districts in the Union Territory as hundreds of students from Kashmir, in particular, are studying in different states of India, and also abroad.

-Tahir Ibn Manzoor is a freelance journalist based in New Delhi.