SRINAGAR – An association of private schools here expressed dismay over continued functioning of Delhi Public School in Kashmir region despite the ongoing winter vacation announced by the government in November. The group questioned the government’s intention in ‘allowing’ this school to function while all other schools were directed to shut for early winter vacations. Pertinently, the school education authorities had announced winter vacation for schools upto middle standard (class 8) from November 24, while the high and higher secondary schools were asked to begin vacation from December 8. The Private Schools United Front accused the government of patronizing the “elite” Delhi Public School at the cost of thousands of private and government schools in Kashmir. “There was no need of closure of schools early this winter. But they still did it just to benefit a particular so called elite school,” said Prof A G Masood, General Secretary of the Front. “At a time when every school is closed, we want to ask the government how is DPS working as if rules don’t apply to them.” The front said that the department of education seems to be patronizing the said school. “The government has now made discrimination as its official policy. On one hand are thousands of schools and lakhs of ordinary children and on the other hand is a single school with few thousand rich kids,” said Masood. “With their orders the government has divided children of Kashmir into two groups. It is a start of new kind of feudal system.” The front said that no school in Kashmir can work without the approval of state government and thus everybody has to follow their rules. “Some officials claim that DPS follows CBSE, but it is the affiliation and recognition of department of education that makes them functional. So they have to follow the law of the land but unfortunately they are given a royal treatment,” said Masood. “Not only are they only conducting exams but they are also forcing students to attend their flood hit classrooms. They have openly put date sheets on their website as if they don’t care.” The front held a meeting wherein government was asked to come clear on this ‘discrimination’. “In case they don’t do anything, then we too will open our schools, conduct exams and promote students to new classes,” said G N Var, President of the Front. “The government has left us no choice but to fight for our rights.” The front said that government needs to constitute a high level inquiry committee into the “destruction of one year session” of lakhs of Kashmiri students. “At the end of the year we feel that there was a well versed plan to destroy developing education sector of Kashmir,” said Var. “Government should initiate an inquiry and determine who ordered the infamous flip flop winter vacation announcement, scuttling of mass promotion, denial of scholarship to students, schools etc.” Delhi Public School, Srinagar, is the first private school affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education. The school started functioning eleven years back. More than four thousand students are enrolled in the school.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 11:34:57 +0000
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