Less than 3% attendance in christian missionary schools in Srinagar

Out of 8,747 students only 208 turned up
Nishwan Rasool:
Srinagar, September 27: In four Christian missionary schools in the Srinagar City on Monday the attendance was less than 3 per cent with 208 students out of the total 8747 making it to schools amid curfew and strike. Many among those who attended the school complained that ‘not a single State Road Transport bus as promised by the government was available’.

A senior staff member at the Valley’s oldest Christian missionary school Tyndale Biscoe and Mallinson Educational Society said, “Out of 3,747 students only 100 were present today.... government’s decision to open schools at this time when there is so much agitation and tension in the Valley is really wrong.”

“I travelled from Rangreth, Rawalpora to my school Tyndale Biscoe by foot which was very difficult, I did not see any SRTC bus plying,” said a student from Tyndale Biscoe.

“If it is going to be like this then it is impossible for me to come to school regularly,” he added.

Schools could not also send their buses to areas which were under strict curfew.

“We managed some school buses to go to Uptown, but could not send our buses to Downtown as it was under curfew. Out of 2,500 students only 33 students were present in the school. We tried our level best to make the buses to go Downtown but unfortunately the area was under curfew,” said an official from Burn Hall School in Sonwar.

“Early morning, we got a message from the Rangreth, that protesters turned away a school bus or else they have to face the stone throwing,” he further added.

In Presentation Covent 75 students were present, this despite that the mandatory Golden Test Examination for the class 10th was scheduled today.

“Out of 180 class tenth students only 21 appeared in the exams,” Faiza Zahoor, a student who appeared in the exams said.

An official of the school told Kashmir Dispatch, “Out of 2,500 students only 75 made it to school.”

“We can’t assure the parents that their children are safe in the school premises,” the official plainly stated.