On the day when miscreants made an abortive bid to torch the historic Sri Pratap (SP) College, defence minister Manohar Parrikar asked the army to chip in to help in restoring education even as the J&K Board of School Education (JKBOSE) announced to conduct the exams on time albeit with 50 per cent relaxation in the syllabus.
This comes at a time when police arrested five more stone throwers-cum-arsonists for torching the government school in north Kashmir township of Pattan in Baramulla district.
Unknown miscreants on Thursday made an unsuccessful bid to torch 111 year old SP College when they entered the Botany block from the rear side and lit the fire. However the watchman immediately swung into action and extinguished the flames before it could engulf the whole building. Except the window, there was no damage to the college complex.
"Some people are hurting Kashmiryat and burning the schools to destroy the future of the children of the Kashmir valley. Schools are the most important place. Wealth can end but the knowledge will always stay in your mind. I have told the army officers to help, and I feel there should be some pressure from the villages as well (to save the schools). If it happens this state will prosper," said Parrikar.
On the other side, JKBOSE, while overruling the pressure from separatists and some student groups, finally decided to go ahead with the exams for class X and XII scheduled to be held from November 15 and November 14 respectively.
"The main aim to conduct examinations in current month is to save the academic year of the students. In view of prevailing circumstances in the valley, JKBOSE had formulated an assessment scheme in question papers in which papers have been set in way as to provide relaxation in the syllabus," said Zahoor Ahmad Chatt, Chairman, JKBOSE.
For the last few months the students have been taking to the streets demanding deferring of the exams.