By Ulfat Riyaz
The fear of COVID-19 has turned home into a pretty prison after the deadly novel coronavirus engulfed the globe. It wreaked havoc across the continents and the fear of death is dancing on streets. Messages on social media, rumors and the talk shows on TV have added dread to people of Kashmir who are already trapped in conflict.
Above all, the situation has taken a toll on the region’s education system at an alarming rate and has left it paralyzed. Prior to the COVID 19 whole world was going very smoothly but the saga of Kashmir was still quite different .With the abrogation of Article 370 scrapping special status of J&K on the 5th of August 2019 the state was under lockdown nearly around 8 good months and education system was all shut. There were no classroom activities schools, colleges, and universities were closed for a long period of time. The Internet was blocked which is still working on 2g from this we can find our quality of education. Quality education is justified on the basis of academic performance. Our scholars have no access to the internet.
Today when the world is providing online teaching access to students around the world. we are hitting hands and feet to open that zoom app that our institutions have provided us. One can easily feel the wastage of time, talent potential, and energy. Who will bring the time of students back ? our academic sessions got betwixt and between neither complete nor incomplete.
My friend was ecstatic. When she had finished her application. It had taken her months of preparation and planning to complete. All that she awaited was a letter of recommendation from her professor which was due to be sent on the 7th of August. During that period Internet and communication were snapped across the valley and the range of networks on phones got disappeared which continued to 8 months long and her dream to study abroad also got dissipated.
Conflicts made a vulnerable effect on education and the parents who are making a lot of effort for this pious purpose, seem to get annoyed because returns meet the cost of unrest and closure of these institutions.
Learning happens to be one of the most powerful thing in life .It allows to find the meaning of life behind everything and helps improve lives in a massive way overall education is the platform that makes it possible to defeat all barriers.
Unfortunately the education in Kashmir feel ashamed in associating themselves to the world scenario of education..The impact of conflict on education is so adverse one can not actually put it into words .Our Youngsters are facing the worst when it comes to quality education and barriers to information as compared to the students outside Kashmir .
Growth and Potential are being wasted by disallowing a fair environment to learn and evolve. One of the major challenges of education in situation of conflict is the discontinuities it creates. The impact on student’s academic performance as well as their Psycho–social developments.
Now Student suffering problems of mental health like depression,anxiety trauma & which is increasing with each passing day. We being betrayed , cheated ,ensnared, and lied all through our lives are completely shattered almost this state has entirely occupied our brains. We do not know what should we do now. Only the suffered can understand how it is to be . Depression is more likely following particular classes of experience – those involving conflict, disruption, losses, and experiences of violence. World Health Organization has ranked depression as the 3rd among the list of the most urgent health problems worldwide and has predicted it to become number two in terms of disease burden by 2020 overriding diabetes, cancer, arthritis, etc. Physical violence may be easier to identify, name, and quantify than psychic or symbolic violence so are we. At the end one cling to God ‘ Parwardegareh Raham kaer as peth ”!
A writer can be reached at Ulfatriyaz12@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Views expressed are the author’s own.
