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Adil Lateef
Srinagar, Nov 14: Over 94 percent students appeared in annual regular Board examinations for the Class 12th in Kashmir division amid tight security and stray incidents of stone-pelting and protests forcing officials to relocate 12 examination centres.
Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK), Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, told Excelsior that the examinations were conducted in peaceful atmosphere and there was no major incident of violence. He said tight security all across the Kashmir division was in place and security forces guarded all the examination centres amid prohibitory orders imposed already in and around these centres. The exams started at 11 am and concluded at 2pm.
According to DSEK figures, 31964 students were to appear in today’s examinations and out of them 30213 remained present. The attendance percentage of candidates in the exams was 94.17 percent. Among all 10 districts of Valley, the highest number of candidates appeared in Anantnag district of South Kashmir where the attendance percentage was 96.1.
The official figures revealed that 95.83 students appeared in secondary examinations in Srinagar district, 93.92 percent in Ganderbal, 94.97 in Budgam, 92.98 Kulgam, 94.65 Pulwama, 93.66 Shopian, 92.80 Bandipora, 93.70 Baramulla and 93.10 in Kupwara. As per the senior Government official, there was an increase of 2.56 percent in attendance of candidates this year as compared to last year. Overall, 1751 remained absent.
A police officer said incidents of stone-pelting occurred outside few exam centres in Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam and Budgam districts. He said four students were injured after miscreants pelted stones on them outside an exam centre at Pahnoo in Shopian district. The police official said that stone-pelting on exam centres also occurred at Mohanpora in Kulgam district and Belgam in Pulwama in South Kashmir.
In Kundalan and Vihil villages of Shopian district, announcements were made by unidentified persons through mosque loudspeakers in the morning hours, asking students to stay away from exams or face dire consequences. Later security was beefed up in these areas.
In Soibugh and Haran areas of Budgam district, security forces fired teargas canisters to chase away the miscreants, who allegedly threatened and thrashed students after they came out from their exam centres. DSEK Aijaz Ahmad Bhat while confirming the incident said three exam centres have been relocated as precautionary measure from these areas.
Chief Education Officer (CEO) Budgam Inderjeet Sharma said: “In the wake of reported incidents of law and order, administration has decided to shift two 12th class exam centres 2112 & 2113 to Girls Higher Secondary School Budgam & Boys Higher secondary school Budgam with immediate effect, besides a 10th class exam center number 2114 has also been shifted to Budgam where it is housed in Degree college Budgam from tomorrow.”
The Director said at Yaripora in Kulgam district, the students at local exam centre staged a protest after they failed to understand the paper pattern. “However, the concerned CEO and Deputy Commissioner went to that exam centre and made the students understand after which everything came back to normal,” he said. A similar protest was reported from Nishat area of Srinagar.
In the wake of the unrest and continued closure of schools, the Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education (BOSE) has announced 50 percent open choice for the students appearing in Board exams in November month. Although it has also announced that it will hold exams in March 2017 for the students who doesn’t want to appear in November, but the 50 percent choice will not be available for them.
Most of the students, who appeared in today’s exams, said they were satisfied with the paper pattern and faced no difficulties. In the wake of present unrest, the students were accompanied by their parents to the exam centres and they waited for them till they came out after writing their papers. With class 12 exams taking off today, the annual examination for class 10 will begin from Tuesday, November 15.
Following the persistent demand by the students and their parents, the District Development Commissioner Pulwama has ordered shifting of five examination centres in the district for smooth conduct of Class 12th and Class 10th examinations.
According to Deputy Commissioner Pulwama, exam centre number 6143 for Class 12th examination and centre number 6144 for Class 10th examination located at Higher Secondary School, Noorpora (Tral) have been shifted to Islamic University of Science and Technology Awantipora.
He said the centre number 6143 for Class 10th examination located at Girls High School Noorpora (Tral) has been shifted to Mantaqi High School Awantipora. The DDC said that the centre numbers 6102 and 6123 for Class 10th examination located at Government High School Tahab (Pulwama) have been shifted to Central High School Pulwama and Degree College Pulwama respectively.
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