KL Report
SRINAGAR
The Jammu and Kashmir government had closed the schools in the flood hit Kashmir last year hurriedly and had decided not to conduct examinations however the school buildings remained untouched during the long winter and are going to reopen in the current month though in the previous condition.
The parents wonder and ask when the school buildings were unsafe and unhygienic by the end of 2014 how they will be functional now even after not being touched.
Devastating floods hit the valley Kashmir and some parts of the Pir Panchal area in September last compelling the government to announce March session exams.
Sources said that most of the government schools which were hit by the floods did not function after September 7, 2014. The said school buildings did not receive any attention during the winter and time is fast approaching for their reopening.
“I wonder how the same school buildings are now safe which were termed unsafe after the floods,” said an official of the Education Department.
When asked about the reasons for not renovating such school buildings, the official said on the condition of anonymity, “we did not receive any direction from the higher authorities so nothing could be done on ground.”
Sources said that most of the private schools did whatever they could to renovate the affected buildings and most of them had resumed functioning by the end of October 2014, however, the affected government school buildings are in shambles.
The state government had decided to conduct examinations in March this year keeping in view the condition of the school buildings.
“The situation of the flood hit school buildings is the same especially of the government schools one wonders how they can be used now,” said a government teacher who is posted at a government school in Kulgam district.
Sources said that schools have incurred a loss of around Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 3,000 crores in the floods. It included the government schools.
The private schools had somehow managed the renovation of the affected buildings and started functioning late October 2014 however the affected government school buildings are in the same position left in 2014.
All the schools in the valley are scheduled to reopen after winter vacations in the last week of February.
