J&K- As schools go up in flames, 12 lakh children sit back at home

The separatists however say that the government in the state has itself to blame. They say, " for their politics of normalcy the government has waged a war against students.

Srinagar, Oct 31: Schools continue to go up in flames in Jammu and Kashmir. There are 12 lakh students who are sitting at home as they are unable to go to schools that have been targets of the separatists of the Valley.

Since the unrest broke out in Kashmir on July 9, there have been 25 schools that have been targeted. The latest on the list of schools were the state run, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Aishmuqam and Government Higher Secondary school in Kabamarg.

While on one hand, the separatists have unleashed their men on state run schools on the other terrorist groups too are threatening to burn schools. The separatists say that the government cannot claim normalcy in the Valley. The government has ordered that schools remain open, but the separatists have opposed this.

12 lakh children suffer:

Since July 9 the Valley has been on the boil. Schools have remained shut as curfew has been in place. A call made by the government to open schools was resisted by the separatists. The teachers were however caught in a spot of bother. Not attending school would mean loss of pay. Attending schools meant they came under fire from the separatists.

Most of the schools remained open with no children in it. Parents feared sending their children to school. However the DPS school in Srinagar had no problems in conducting exams. Questions were in fact raised whether this school got preferrence because Hurriyat hawk, S Geelani's grand daughter was studying in it.

However the fact of the matter is that 12 lakh children have suffered the most. They are lagging behind on their syllabus. Parents say that after the threat from the separatists, now even terrorists have started planning attacks on schools. There is no way in which we can send out children in such an atmosphere, parents have said.

The separatists however say that the government in the state has itself to blame. They say, " for their politics of normalcy the government has waged a war against students. They are hell bent upon taking revenge on the students, they say. The government however says that people are instigating poor children and misguiding them.

OneIndia News