With no sign of students returning to schools any time soon in Kashmir, several government schools, in a novel idea, have decided to throw open their campus facilities for children living in the vicinity for recreational purposes.
Taking the lead, a prominent girls higher secondary school at Kothibagh near Lal Chowk here with a huge playground has put up a notice for the children living in nearby areas “to use the campus for multiple activities”.
The school has seen poor attendance of students till now.
“Local children can use the campus for sports activity from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.,” the notice reads at the school.
“The idea is to allow the children, living under a sense of siege since August 5, to come out of their homes and interact. They are constantly exposed to the negative cycle of news, with little interaction outside. Even the spaces of entertainment like sports grounds are sealed with concertina wires and many are sealed by the security forces,” a staffer of the school said, on condition of anonymity.
The government’s bid to reopen 4,000 primary and middle schools in the Valley has failed to see any spike in attendance.
According to the official figures, the attendance hovered around 10%, even if staff presence has improved “significantly.”’
