Primary schools reopen in Valley, attendance low

Classrooms in many reputed schools of Srinagar, where 190 primary schools were opened, were deserted as jittery parents decided against allowing their children to go out.

Primary schools opened in Kashmir for the first time in a fortnight on Monday but student attendance remained thin as the government further relaxed restrictions that were imposed after the region was stripped of special status.

Primary schools opened in Kashmir for the first time in a fortnight on Monday but student attendance remained thin as the government further relaxed restrictions that were imposed after the region was stripped of special status. (Andrabi / Hindustan Times)

Classrooms in many reputed schools of Srinagar, where 190 primary schools were opened, were deserted as jittery parents decided against allowing their children to go out.

The main entrance of Tyndale Biscoe School, which has 3,000 students on its rolls, was shut. A few metres ahead, the city centre of Lal Chowk was closed off with barbed wire coils.

Few students turned up at another top school, Presentation Convent Senior Secondary School, in the Raj bagh area. “The students didn’t come today, some staff members came in their private vehicles,’’ said an employee on condition of anonymity.

Director, information, Sehrish Asgar acknowledged that attendance was thin. “Out of the 190 schools declared open in Srinagar, staff ranging from 30-50% was present in 166 schools. However the attendance in all the schools was thin. Similar was the case in all the other districts of the Valley,” she said.

Mohammad Yonis, a resident of Barbarshah in Srinagar, said he didn’t send his three children to school as situation was not conducive. “First the school buses didn’t ply. There was more tension and some people even burnt tyres on the roads, so I didn’t take the risk,” he said.

The government also announced that curbs on movement and assembly of people had been relaxed in half of the 105 police stations across Kashmir and said there were no major law and order problems.

“Life is slowly returning to normal. Public is generally cooperating,” Asgar said.

The restrictions were clamped on August 5, hours before the Indian government revoked Article 370, which bestowed special status to J&K, and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories. Since then, Kashmir has been locked down with tensions running high, but the administration has relaxed the curbs over the past week.

Deputy inspector general, central Kashmir, VK Birdi, said there were two incidents of violence in the Nigeen and Safa Kadal areas of Srinagar.

“There were some minor incidents of stone pelting in certain pockets but those were dealt as per law and the miscreants were dispersed. The situation is being monitored very closely. Situation is returning to normal slowly,” he said.

The officer said in both cases, a gathering of “10-12 people” was witnessed.

“As far as law and order situation is concerned in Kashmir and across the state, there was no major law and order incident today and all the areas where relaxations were given have behaved peacefully,” Birdi said.