The constant clashes prevalent in the valley have caused much chaos in the academic sphere. Over 26 schools have been burnt down by unknown arsonists. Though the high court intervened in the matter and ordered the government to take swift action on the issue, the culprits are yet to be captured. Students haven’t attended classes for months now fearing their security. The board exams for class 10 and class 12 students are scheduled to begin in November 2016. The entire country will be able to adhere to this schedule except the students in Jammu & Kashmir. This is because regular classes have not been conducted in the valley for months now.

KPSA (Kashmir Private Schools Association) had appealed to the government today to empathize with them on this situation and postpone the examinations. The government had earlier decided to hold the examinations as per the schedule in Jammu & Kashmir. The association said that the students were under extreme stress and were not prepared for the examination. They feared that the stress could lead to suicides among students.

G N Var, President, KPSA said that the students were not able to study the topics listed in the syllabus and will not be able to perform well in the examinations. This could also affect their performance in the competitive exams such as CET, NEET, JEE. If they perform poorly in these examinations, it would affect their careers adversely as these examinations are a turning point in their lives. He added that the number of working days were very few this year and the syllabus was far from complete.

Var also expressed his displeasure in the burning of schools in the valley and said that a rational person especially a Muslim could not commit such a grave act as burning educational institutions are against the teachings of Islam. He also said that examinations are a mere formality and studies are more important than examinations. Examinations are required to check how much a student has studied. He questioned that if the students hadn’t studied anything, how could they write an examination?

KPSA has requested the administration of all schools in the valley to reach a compromise such that the students are benefitted in the best possible manner. According to Var the best approach would be to conduct the examinations in February 2017 so that students have ample time to prepare. He also stated that back in 2014, when the valley was damaged by floods, close to 7 months of academic sessions had to be canceled but the portions were completed. He appealed to the government to focus on the welfare of the students in this matter.