Children put to torture to ensure hassle-free movement of Bureaucrats

The change in school timings ordered by School Education Department has evoked widespread criticism with parents and civil society accusing the department of putting students to torture for ensuring hassle free traffic movement for bureaucrats during day time.
The government recently decided to change the timings for government as well as private schools and said the timing for the schools within the Municipal limits of Srinagar shall be from 8 am to 2 pm and for the schools outside Srinagar Municipal limits shall be from 9 am to 3 pm from May 1, 2017.
The school timings were changed a week ahead of the Durbar Move from Jammu to Srinagar where the Move offices are scheduled to resume work from May 8.
The change in timings has angered the parents who castigate the authorities for training the guns on the children to ease the VIP movement in city. “Why can’t offices in J&K start before 9 am when it is happening in other states? This is inhuman to send our kids in wee hours to their schools and facilitate babus for their smooth travel to their offices during the day time,” said Muhammad Anees, an angry parent of Hazratbal Srinagar.
The parents said the change in school timings will tell upon the health of the students and will prove detrimental for them in the longer run.
“From past three days preparing kids for schools has become a hectic task. Students can’t prepare themselves too early as it is not possible for little kids to wake up before dawn and prepare for school,” said Muhammad Arif a parent from Khanyar.
The parents questioned the school timing order and said the people at the helm of affairs chose comfortable timing for them while as small school going children are subjected to torture.
“Why don’t they (government) adopt such timing for themselves and reach their offices early. They select comfortable timing for themselves at the cost of the health of the students,” the parents said.
Interestingly around 80 percent of the students particularly of Kindergarten use school bus to ferry them to and from their respective homes.
“Kids have to wake up early at 5:30 am and reach their bus stop around 6:15 am. Once they board their school bus, they are taken to other routes and roam for an hour to pick other students. This whole process is unhealthy for them,” the parents said.
Besides city, the government has also changed the school timing in rural areas wherein students face immense hardships given the limited availability of transport facilities in morning hours. In towns and rural areas the school timing has been set from 9 am to 3 pm.
“The order is anti-student. We have limited transport available in rural areas particularly in morning hours. Government should rethink on it and reschedule the school timings,” said Ghulam Muhammad, a parent from Langate.

Expert View:
Experts believe that opening of schools at 8 O’clock would have implication on the students of primary classes given their tender age.
“Such orders will put kids of tender age under stress. If they are forced to wake up early, it would affect their mental as well as physical health,” said Dr Mir Mushtaq.
He said the kids cannot manage waking up in wee hours and get ready for schools.
He said the change in school timings will be worrisome for kids whose sleeping pattern is determined by a proper rhythm. “Once we force kids to sleep or wake up early, it breaks their rhythm and can prove hazardous for their health,” he said.
He said the prevailing cold weather conditions were not feasible for small kids to leave for school in wee hours.
“We can’t ignore the climatic conditions while preparing kids for schools. It becomes hard for students to prepare for school in cold conditions,” Dr. Mushtaq said.
Interestingly, the Traffic Police last year had mooted a proposal to divisional administration and recommended change in the school and college timing from 8 am in the city areas and 9 am in rural areas to ensure “hassle-free flow of traffic.”
Later, the traffic police had to eat its words after the proposal faced public outcry.
Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK) G N Itoo said the issue was already in consideration with the administrative department. “Nothing has been decided yet, but deliberations are going on over this issue and a decision may be taken within two days,” Itoo said.