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Volunteer-run schools come to the aid of kids
SRINAGAR: The lanes and by-lanes of Kaw Mohalla in the old areas of Srinagar, which has been under curfew for the past 34 days, are witnessing the joy and laughter
SRINAGAR: The lanes and by-lanes of Kaw Mohalla in the old areas of Srinagar, which has been under curfew for the past 34 days, are witnessing the joy and laughter of school-going children for the past three days.
Although schools have not opened, residents with the help of few volunteers, have started an informal school in a community centre to help compensate children for the loss in education.
At 11am, Sumaira Farooq, a 24-year-old commerce graduate, is teaching general knowledge to 15 students of Class 1 in a hall. Nearby, another teacher, an arts graduate, teaches multiplication to 20 students of Class 3. In the afternoon session, another set of volunteers — graduates, postgraduates and researchers — teach students of Classes 7, 8, 9 and 10 of various government and private schools.
The initiative was started by caretakers of the local mosque, Jamia Masjid Kaw Mohalla, after consulting 20 educated youth of the area who volunteered to start the informal school.
“Kashmiris are caught up in a storm and don’t know when they will reach the shore. In this tempest, we decided to at least try and secure the future of our children,” said Ali Mohammad, member of the mosque caretaking committee.
Mohammad said they involved caretakers of four mosques, who made announcements informing people about the start of the school. Furnishings were brought from the local mosque while chairs and benches were given by a nearby government school, which is closed. “The number of students has already crossed 300 and it is swelling with each passing day,” Mohammad said.
Like Kaw Mohalla, some areas in Srinagar and south Kashmir have also started such informal schools. Volunteer Sumaira Farooq said the initiative was their way of contributing to the “cause”.
“There are parents who can’t afford private tuitions for their kids, others can afford but can’t send them due to the curfew. Children from every strata of society have enrolled for this schooling,” she said.
The government has been asking students to rejoin schools. On its Facebook page, the directorate of school education, wrote a message for school children on August 9.
“We miss you. Without you, our days are lifeless. Children, when are you coming back to school? It has been a long time since the last morning prayer, since the last afternoon huddle.”
India has hit out at Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his attempts to involve other countries and the United Nations in the Kashmir issue, saying such measures will not whitewash the cross-border terrorism sponsored by the neighbour.
“Let me also say it does not matter how many letters are written, it will still not whitewash cross-border terrorism”, external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup.
Earlier this week, Sharif had shot off letters to UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon and UN high commissioner for human rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, seeking their help to end the “persistent and egregious violation of the basic human rights” of the Kashmiri people. He also urged them to implement the UN Security Council resolution.
“Pakistan has no locus standi in addressing any aspect of the situation in J&K, which is an internal matter of India,” Swarup said and added that the neighbour should instead focus on stopping cross-border terrorism against India.
He said the capture of “LeT’s Bahadur Ali” is yet another proof of Pakistan allowing its territory to be used by anti-India elements. “The interrogation of Bahadur Ali and his confession has clearly revealed the details of the kind of training that is provided to such young men, the camps in which they are kept, the weapons that they are provided and the indoctrination that they undergo prior to infiltration into India”, he said.
