Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday decided to shut coaching centres across Kashmir for the next three months which triggered bitter response from the people in the valley, who think that the ban on coaching institutions is “barbaric” as it will cripple the career of the students.
Conservative estimates suggest that at least 50,000 students in Kashmir attend coaching centers .The coaching centres act as an alternative for the students, where they are trained to prepare for competitive examinations. The estimated amount of Rs 250 crores doesn’t come from the government, but is paid by the parents who are willing to invest for education of their children.
It should be noted that this is not the first time that the students are protesting outside the schools and colleges. The students in the valley have always faced repercussions of the hostile situation in the state including, during the month-long curfews.
In the recent past, the biggest casualty suffered by the education sector in Kashmir was after the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani. During the six-month-long unrest that followed, at least 19 schools were torched, out of which 17 were state-run. The remaining two were privately owned. Even though the school remained shut until July 2017, the annual examinations were not postponed. Scores of students had protested asking for the delay in the examination as more than 50 per cent of their syllabus remained uncovered affecting the education of thousands of students. Has the education minister thought of any remedy on that?
