Following student unrest over Kathua rape, education minister Bukhari issues 90-day diktat
A day after he threatened to shut down educational institutions over student unrest since the Kathua rape, Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Education Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Sunday ordered closure of all private coaching institutions for 90 days. The diktat has sparked anger across the already restive valley.
"We found coaching centers are one of the distractions for students. This distraction leads to fall in attendance in schools. We are not against coaching centers; we will first see how schools function. Therefore, immediately we will request and order the coaching centres to stop their shops for some time," said Bukhari after meeting school and college principals.
Bukhari noted that they will review the order in three months. "We will review the order after 90 days. We are the custodians of students and want that they are not distracted," he said.
Strife-torn Kashmir is witnessing student upheaval over the rape and murder of an eight-year-old tribal nomad girl. Colleges and higher secondary level schools have been shut for the last few days after students boycotted classes and marched to protest against the brutal rape and murder in Kathua. Several students were also injured in clashes with the security forces after they pelted stones in different parts of the valley.
Perplexed by the protests, Bukhari on Saturday had warned the students to return to classes or else the government will be constrained to shut educational institutions permanently in the valley.
"When students come on the roads to protest, some elements, who are not our students, start pelting stones. Stones can't be the answer for everything. Can stones get Kathua rape victim justice? We should see who are we pelting on," said Bukhari.
Coaching centres, meanwhile, have reacted sharply to the government diktat and decided to take legal recourse and approach the high court against the order.
"What is the point of ordering closure of coaching centers and keeping schools open? This defies logic. You are not shutting down the places where protests occur and closed those centers where there are no protests. Schools have opened on March 1 and till April 22 there have been only 21 working days," said Junaid Yousuf, President Coaching Centers Association.
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