Category: Union Territory

Demand deferment in Exams, say No Relaxation in Syllabus came as a ‘Shock’

Respected Sir

To begin with, we are really very grateful to you for being considerate of our problem of appearing in Board exams for the full syllabus scheduled to be held from 14thNovember 2016. This happens to be the first attempt of the authorities in lending an ear to our problem, and has come as a major relief for us.
We came across your statement mentioning that ‘students have not so far made any representation before the BOSE authorities’, hence we want to inform you about our grievances and demands through this letter.
As you are aware of the fact that since 1stJuly, schools are closed in the valley and since Eid ul Fitr, tuitions have also stopped functioning. The announcement of datesheet and no relaxation in syllabus came as a shock to us.
The fact that 90 people have been killed in the ongoing unrest which erupted after Burhan Wani’s killing and children of our age have been blinded and maimed has taken a toll on our mental health; it has disturbed us deeply but at the same time we are aware of the fact that education is important for us, however, conducting exams should not be given a political light and should not be projected as a means of restoring normalcy.
We have had only 83 working days of school and have thus completed less than 50% of our syllabus. In 2010, the session had started in November & schools were reopened in September after the turmoil, even then class 12 was given concession of 50% in their syllabus. However, in our situation, our session started in March neither schools have reopened at this juncture, nor our tuitions, and the restoration of peace in the valley isn’t very probable in the near future either.
Also, besides JKCET, JEE and NEET, there are other entrance examinations that are much coveted. For students aspiring to go to universities like the Delhi University or Jamia Milia, there is a requirement of atleast 85% marks for eligibility while JEE-like exams demand 75%. Thus, we cannot afford to score less in the Board exams, which would be the case if we are forced to appear in them for the full syllabus in November, as ordered.
Also, according to us, March session wouldn’t be beneficial for us. It is so in view of the fact that we will have to prepare simultaneously for Board exams as well as entrance exams during winters; which we had never fathomed, and thus are not prepared for and therefore it would affect our performance in entrance exams. In addition to that, we will lose crucial time for our entrance which will be held less than a month after boards, if boards are held in March. It was a necessity in 2014 after the floods and due to it many students had to drop a year as they couldn’t qualify entrance examinations.
In view of the above mentioned facts, our earnest request to you is that syllabus be reduced by 50% as this would be in the greater interest of all the students.
We thus request you to please consider our request and without any further delay announce a verdict on our exams as this delay is putting us under tremendous stress and is taking a toll on our health. (KNS)

Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan): Directorate of Rashtriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyaan (RMSA), J&K in collaboration with the Kaivalya Education Foundation, commenced first phase of the ten day Leadership and Management (residential) Training of Principals and Headmasters of the School Education Department in the Piramal School of Leadership here at Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.

Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar inaugurated the training program from Jammu over Video Conference, and interacted with the organisers and participants.

During the interaction Minister shared his vision with the participants. He exhorted upon the participants  to take maximum benefit of the training programme . Their ways of management of the schools must bring about transformation leading to improved learning levels of the students, he said.

RMSA, J&K is looking forward to imparting  training to heads of all secondary and higher secondary schools and a good number of Upper Primary schools in a cascade mode over a period of three years.

The department of education has joined hands with the Kaivalya Education Foundation, a leading name in the area of leadership training of educational administrators for a period of three years where in they will impart residential-training to the heads twice every year and handhold transformation of the schools by way of improving the way in which the schools are managed.

The present batch is training 110 heads of schools from all 22 districts of J&K, who in addition to being trained shall become Leadership Facilitators and shall impart the training to the head of schools in every district of the State.

State Project Director, RMSA, Saugat Biswas also interacted with the participants during the video conference, and urged the trainees to learn new things with an open mind.. He said  that  the residential program has been designed to ensure that the evenings are also utilised in creative ways and the participants get enough opportunities of peer-learning.

Manmohan Singh, Program Manager, Kaivalya Education Foundation gave  a presentation about the training program and how the training would bring about improvement in learning levels of the students.

On the first day the participants went through an art-integrated activity where understanding of Leadership and “Leadership in School’s Context” was built. Other activities in the involved Group Discussions on Primary Responsibility of School Head and movie screening on personal responsibility, change in self and society.

In the next few days, the workshop shall include sessions Prioritizing Work; Planning, Efficiency and Output; Building Perspective on Group Dynamics and Conflict Resolution; Children’s Developmental needs; SWOT Analysis; Preparing Professional Development Plan; etc. The Leadership Facilitators after completing the first workshop will start training other Head of Institutions in batches from 20^th October .

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday made it clear that there would be no winter secretariat available in Srinagar this year. However, ministers would continue to visit the summer capital to listen to peoples’ woes.
A senior minister in the present coalition told KNS while pleading for anonymity that the winter secretariat would not be operational in the summer capital this year and that all the move offices shall operate from Jammu for the period of six months commencing from November 1st week.
It was informed further that the civil secretariat of Srinagar would hold no offices during the move period and no ministers on rotational basis shall be sent to Srinagar as was being witnessed in the past.
However, chief minister and other ministers of the present coalition would continue her visits to Valley. “Winter secretariat becomes operational when government spends entire six months in Jammu. Now, this is not the case. We have seen even last year that there were ministers who continuously visited Valley. I mean we don’t need a roaster to do that. That practice is long dead,” he added.
According to an order issued by General Administration Department (GAD) the government offices observing five-day week will close on October 27, and the offices observing six-day week shall close on October 29.
“These offices will reopen at Jammu on November 7. All the departments shall ensure that records are packed in boxes after working hours on last working day,” an official spokesman said.
It has been ordered that the offices moving in camp shall carry only 33 per cent of the strength of staff in that particular office or with 10 officials whichever is minimum, he added
“All departments have been asked to send their advance parties on October 24, consisting of one gazetted Officer and four to five non-gazetted employees who will receive the records at Jammu,” he said. (KNS)

Srinagar: Authorities on Monday clamped curfew in 11 police station areas of Srinagar as a precautionary measure in view of the eighth day of Muhurram, even as complete shutdown was observed across the Kashmir valley.

A police official said the police station areas in which the curbs on the movement of people have been imposed are Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari, Safakadal, Maharaj Gunj, Maisuma, Ram Munshi Bagh, Kralkhud, Shaheed Gunj, Karan Nagar and Batamaloo.

The official told news agency CNS that prohibitory orders would remain in force on Tuesday and Wednesday on the main streets alone. He said that the Alam, Tazia and Zuljanah processions would, however, continue in the interior localities. “All the Muharram processions, which have been permitted in the last 27 years, would be allowed in restricted areas with limited presence of the local population,” he said. He asserted that the main procession of the 10th day of Muharram (Aashura) would not be allowed.

Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) deployments put up concertina wires and other barriers to disallow human passage towards the procession venue. Private transport plying on the roads was returned from several entry points. Groups of protestors, nonetheless, managed to surface at Batamaloo and other spots while condemning the “ban.” They alleged that the Mehbooba Mufti government was “carrying forward the practice of interference with the Muslim faith.”

Meanwhile, normal life remained affected for the 94th consecutive day in the rest of the Valley following killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with forces on July 8. The unrest, which has claimed 94 lives and left thousands of others injured, is in its fourth month as shops, business establishments, petrol pumps and educational institutions remained closed, while public transport continued to be off the roads.

Reports from Kralteng Sopore town of North Kashmir said that after a stone-pelting incident Army men caused massive damage to property and residential houses. Locals however said that no stone-pelting was going on in the area when Army went on rampage and barged into the houses to threaten people.

Locals said that  scores of army personnel barged into the residences of Abdul Khaliq Halwai and Abdul Gani Matoo at Khushalmatto and Abdul Khaliq Kondu at Kraleteng and smashed their windows and doors. “The army men broke whatever they found in these three houses and keep on ransacking for more than an hour,” locals alleged adding “we first thought there was some encounter taking place as army men had cordoned the whole area.” They (army men) harassed the inmates and even women were not spared,” they said.

Clashes erupted in old town Baramulla in north Kashmir after government forces raided the area.

Witnesses and reports said that pitched battles were fought in the lanes and bylanes between government forces and protesters. They said that clashes began after forces raided the area. Locals said that youth resorted to heavy stone-pelting while government forces fired pellets and tear-smoke shells to disperse them.

In South Kashmir according to locals government forces damaged at least five power transformers when people tried to participate in a pro-freedom march at Lever Pahalgam area of Anantnag district. Eyewitnesses and reports said that in a bid to foil the ‘Lever Chalo’ freedom march government forces had sealed all the roads leading to the village while people from different villages including Khatsu, Khotas, Sallar, Wullarhama, Paryen and Jaigund were stopped to move towards the venue. The infuriated people staged a massive protest while youth resorted to stone-pelting. Government forces used pellets and tear-gas canisters to disperse the agitated protesters. During the clashes according to locals government forces fired bullets on the power transformers causing damages to them. “The armed forces targeted five power transformers. They have suffered extensive damage and now the area will reel under darkness for weeks,” said a local from Levar area to CNS.

Hundreds of people according to reports participated in a unity-cum-pro freedom rally organized by Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH), Bandipora in Kehnusoo area of the northern district.

People from Kanibathi, Watlab, Ashtangoo, Zoorimanz and adjoining villages attended the rally organized in Jamia Masjid Kehnusoo.

Tehsil President of the, Danish Malik, and other religious scholars addressed the rally that continued till afternoon. Later participants marched from Masjid to main Kehnusoo Chowk.

Speakers urged people to remain steadfast and united for the “cause of freedom”.

Meanwhile, reports from Nadihal Bandipora said that CRPF personnel caused massive damage to private property after a stone-pelting incident.

A police official told CNS that the situation in Valley by and large remained peacefulon Monday. (CNS)

Srinagar: Senior legislator and Communist Party of India (Marxist) Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami has dispatch a letter to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti following the tragic murder of 12 year old Jaunaid of Srinagar city at the hands of government armed forces. Tarigami has castigated government over indiscriminate use of force and random arrests of people under draconian laws like Public Safety Act.

The letter to the Chief Minister reads: “With the tragic and shocking death of one more Juniad, all the Kashmiri parents have lost one more young son, who could have bloomed and proved an asset for the State. The gruesome killing by pellet firing must have tormented you as well, I believe. However, one fails to understand why the pellet guns are still being used, despite the fact that its use was strongly denounced by the entire opposition and the matter was whemently discussed in the parliament too. There was also an assurance about its withdrawal from the mob control arsenal. I understand that as the head of the Unified Command, you are empowered to disallow the use of this weapon, which despite counter claims, has proved quite lethal.”

“Juniad is no more and like scores of our other departed youngsters would not return to his wailing mother. The due punishment if meted out to his killers may lessen her grief and may also prove a deterrent and consequently save the precious lives of others.”

“It is, as such in the interest of justice and safeguard of basic human rights that the present case, in fact all such cases should be investigated thoroughly, responsibility fixed and the guilty punished. Delay and negligence in this regard is bound to prove disastrous.”

“As a lifelong political activist and public representative, I am deeply concerned about the ongoing painful turmoil in the State. Needless to mention that it has left over ninty people dead and thousands injured. I reiterate my and my party’s understanding that the present scenario comprising unending huge protests and vicious cycle of violence has deep political roots and the remedy lies in addressing the peoples political aspirations and grievances rather than the blatant use of force.”

“I would like to emphasize that the use of excessive and indiscriminate force while dealing with the situation merely as a law and order problem, will further erode the trust of the masses in the government and widen the gulf which would be extremely difficult to bridge. As is evident the trust deficit and alienation are at their peak and could lead to dangerous consequences.”

“Keeping the precarious ground situation in view, it is quite rational and advisable to deal with the situation with extreme caution. While maintaining public order, the law enforcing agencies should not become a law unto themselves and resort to the maxim of tit for tat. The police and the para military forces should protect the law and not break it. Reports are pouring in that the police and the security forces beat people indiscriminately, enter houses forcibly at night, vandalize the property and pick up people at random. This needs to be checked immediately.”

“Till now number of youngsters and political activists have been put behind bars under the infamous Public Safety Act. Needless to say that this act being a draconian law should in no way be invoked for the maintenance of law & order in the state.  An elected government is normally expected to avoid use of force even in the face of serious provocations.”

The letter ends with a couplet of Ghalib that reads, Oh Ghalib, there is no way out,

But to express; The situation is tough and The life is dear! 

‘Kashmir Independence struggle indigenous’

New Delhi: India’s renowned Human Rights activist Gautam Navlakha Monday said that the unsolved Kashmir dispute poses a serious threat to the global peace and any further delay in its settlement will prove disastrous for the entire world.

He deplored that the world had maintained silence over the killing of innocent Kashmiri people that gave a sense of impunity to India to crush the Kashmiris’ liberation struggle through force. He expressed the confidence that the world powers would play an effective role to resolve the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the Kashmiris’ aspirations.

Gautam Navlakha told Kashmir based news agency CNS that present government of India led by Narendra Modi is fishing in the troubled waters of Kashmir. “New Delhi is busy in creating such a horrible environment in Kashmir that will wash away the whole sub-continent. Instead of resolving Kashmir issue, India is continuously laying blaming on Pakistan, little did realizing that the Kashmir Freedom Struggle in indigenous in nature and the locals in Kashmir are leading the movement,” he said.

“India used Uri attack to defame Pakistan. It also used Uri attack to deflect the attention of the world community from Kashmir uprising. It (India) has been playing a dirty game but New Delhi will surely lose this game,” he said adding that maintaining silence on Kashmir uprising indicates that India is least bothered about the sufferings of the people of Kashmir,” he said.

Navlakha said that if India takes the movement of some vehicles on roads as a sign of normalcy then it is living in a fool’s paradise. “India thinks as the disobedience movement pro-longs, people will get tired and resume their normal business, but it doesn’t realize that this policy has already turned Kashmir into a volcano that will explode repeatedly with a bang,” he said.

Gautam Navlakha said that India will get nothing by blaming Pakistan for every incident in Kashmir. (CNS)

New Delhi: The Centre is mulling reconfiguration of ‘PAVA shells’, recently introduced in Kashmir for crowd control as an alternative to pellet guns, as these proved to be “less effective” due to a number of anomalies.

Srinagar: Army on Monday used IEDs and rockets to blast Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) building where a gunbattle is underway since early morning.

Witnesses said that flames and smoke were seen billowing from the EDI building following the sound of IED blasts.

Three militants are believed to have taken cover inside the building.
An army soldier and a cop have been injured in the gunfight so far.

Srinagar: Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir(DHSK) in collaboration with Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), in its continuous effort to reach out to cancer patients of the valley at their doorsteps,performed 5 cancer surgeries today at District Hospital Anantnag. This is for the first time that such advanced surgeries have been performed in South Kashmir.  Since the inception of MoU between Department of Surgical Oncology, SKIMS and DHSK, number of advanced cancer surgeries have been performed across various peripheral hospitals of the directorate and in that context today District Hospital Anantnag took a lead.

The operative team included Dr. Altaf Gauhar Haji (HOD, Department of Surgical Oncology, SKIMS), Dr. Sheikh Zahoor, Dr. Ab Waheed, Dr. Ab Bari, Dr. Mudasir, Dr. Imtiyaz and Dr. Vishal. The team from SKIMS was assisted by Dr. Malik Azad, Dr. Altaf Wani, Dr. Firdous Ahmad, Dr. Salman Khurshid, Dr. Mohammad Shafi, Dr. Firdous, Dr. Nadeem Rashid, Mr. Akhter Hussain, Mr. Mukhtar Ah Shah, Mr. Mohd Maqbool, Mr. Ab Hye, Mr. Ghulam Rasool, Mr. Zubair Ahmad, Mr. Bilal Ahmad, Mr. Manzoor Ahmad and Mr. Irshad Ahmad. The logistic support was provided by the hospital administrator Dr. A Majid Mirab. The patients who were listed earlier were operated today for breast cancer, thyroid cancer, Parotid carcinoma and colorectal cancer.

Director Health Services, Kashmir congratulated the whole team and expressed his gratitude to Director SKIMS Prof.  Dr. A G Ahangar and Department of Surgical Oncology, SKIMS. He stressed upon the significance of such pilot initiatives as by such advances cancer patients who are indicated for surgeries get treated at their doorsteps, without having to travel long distances and at the same time eliminates the burden of waiting  for months together to get treated, keeping in view the heavy rush of the patients at tertiary hospitals.He reiterated the need to work in tandem with SKIMS and emphasized the significance of such initiatives, which will surely go a long way in promoting quality healthcare services to the patients in their respective districts.

Urges authorities to intervene

Srinagar: Parents whose wards are enrolled in DPS Sangam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, Monday alleged that school authorities are ‘blackmailing’ them, to mint money.
They alleged for class 9 students’ registration, school is charging exorbitant fee than the prescribed by Board of School Education.
“The school authorities are denying to forward registration of students of class 9th to the BOSE who fail to pay tuition of fee of past three months,” they alleged.
“How can we deposit the fee when the schools remained closed? We have not earned during these months,” they said.
They alleged that school authorities have turned an education institution as commercial hub, to loot the public.
“With such kind of happenings, the school administration is putting the career of students at stake,” they said.
They appealed concerned authorities to intervene in the matter and act under law.
Despite repeated attempts, DPS Principal didn’t receive the call to have comments over the matter.
Refuting allegations, School principle told KNS that School management will not take any measure that would cause any sort of injustice to students or their parents. (KNS)