Schooling in border areas hit every year, but state still without strategy

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 21

Shelling by Pakistan continues to force the closure of schools along the International Border in the Jammu region, but the state government is yet to formulate an education policy for children living in forward areas.

In the past one week, the education department has closed more than 300 government and private schools along the International Border following intense shelling by Pakistan Rangers.

“We are worried about the bleak future of our children as they are unable to get normal education in the prevailing circumstances. Neither the Centre nor the state government is bothered about what we and our children have been facing on a daily basis. The Central government should either find a permanent solution to this problem or else provide us plots in safer places so that our children can live a normal life,” said Toshi Devi, an elderly woman at Arnia village.

“There are about 150 government schools within a radius of 5 km in border areas, including Bishnah, RS Pura, Arnia, Suchetgarh, Khour and Jourian, in Jammu district that are prone to Pakistan’s misadventures. Any skirmish on the border forces the children and their families to leave their homes and stay in relief camps without books and teachers. Many times, their stay at relief camps prolong for several weeks due to hostile conditions along the border,” said JK Sudan, Chief Education Officer (CEO), Jammu.

The Samba CEO Rampal Bal said they had to close 67 government schools along the IB in the Ghagwal, Samba and Ramgarh zones twice this week due to Pakistan shelling.

Sources said the education department had put up a proposal to the government for a policy to take special care of the schooling of border children but nothing had been achieved so far.

A senior officer of the education department, preferring anonymity, said the government was aware of the disruption to normal classwork in border belts. “We will hold remedial and additional classes for students to minimise the loss to their education. A comprehensive education plan for border children is under discussion,” he said.

In forward areas, edu takes backseat

• There are about 450 government and private schools along the IB in three districts — Kathua, Samba and Jammu
• Over 50,000 students studying in these schools are directly or indirectly victims of border shelling