Shutdown hits academics at KU

Rifat Mohidin
Tribune news service
Srinagar, September 18

While the shutdown in Kashmir entered its 43rd day, the new academic session which was started at the University of Kashmir (KU) in May has come to a halt.

The students who had sought admission in the session and were passouts of the last year after their exams were delayed said they feared the decision would lead to further delay, “putting their careers at risk”.

“Last year also we suffered as the exams could not be conducted on time. We waited for more than eight months but again we are in this situation. It is a very distressing time for us. When will we complete studies and think of getting a job? asked Aqib Farooq, a student from KU.

In April, the university had conducted the entrance test for the first batch, which was a month late than normal. The students fear there will be a long delay in the exams which will stretch their degrees.

“There is a complete mess in the examination system and admissions at the college level. The university had decided that it will hold two sessions this year to accommodate outgoing students of final year undergraduate courses, but that seems unlikely now. We were expecting things to get streamlined,” said Rutba Rafiq, who had recently sought admission in the university. Education in Kashmir has taken a backseat affecting the career of millions of children. Despite restrictions being lifted, the students stayed away from the classes.