Amid uneasy calm prevailing in Valley, the students preparing for various national level competitive exams are leaving for other states to continue their coaching classes. Most of the students who had enrolled themselves in coaching centres in Srinagar have flown to Jammu and joined the coaching institutes to prepare for upcoming competitive exams of various levels. According to wire service — Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the move comes in wake of the prolonged closure of private coaching centres in valley particularly in Srinagar city. The students were left in a dilemma amid the prevailing situation in the Valley. All the private coaching centres in Kashmir including Srinagar city continue to remain closed from past one month following the government of India decision for abrogation of Article 370, 35 (A) and splitting Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories. “The students were in a dilemma due to lockdown of coaching centres. They preferred to shift to other places including Jammu to continue their coaching,’ Rayees Ahmad whose son is preparing for GATE exams at a coaching centre in Srinagar told KNO.Approximately, there are over 550 private coaching institutes in Kashmir where more than 6000 students take coaching every year for various national level and local competitive examination.
As per reports, one of the leading coaching institutes in Srinagar- Akaash Institute has shifted its students to Jammu and accommodated them in Jammu branch of the coaching centre.
The move has been taken as a damage control mode to avoid wastage of time and money of the students they have paid towards the coaching centre. “It was very difficult to take a chance and wait for coaching centres to reopen in Kashmir. We decided to send out kids to outside Valley to continue their coaching for exams,” Rashid Ahmad, a student from Kupwara told wire service Kashmir News Observer (KNO). All the cellular services and internet facilities are blocked from past one month in Kashmir. “The communication blockade has added to the worries of the students,” he said. Over the past few weeks, the administration stated that the schools up to high school level have opened across Kashmir Valley with very thin attendance of students, however no private coaching centre has resumed coaching classes in Srinagar or other districts so far forcing students to shift to other places outside Kashmir. The prolonged closure o coaching centres has also taken a toll on the studies of students who are likely to appear in JK Board exams in October-November month. “We have not completed our syllabus in school or the concerned coaching centres. The students are in complete distress,” a student from Soura told wire service Kashmir News Observer (KNO). However the school education department has asked the students to submit the examination forms for their annual board exams which are likely to commence from October-November month.(KNO)