Jammu and Kashmir: Educational institutions reopen in border districts

BARAMULLA: Educational institutions in the border districts of Kashmir Valley, except those in close proximity to the Line of Control, reopened on Wednesday. Schools and colleges in the border districts of Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora have reopened after a week of closure in the wake of hostilities between India and Pakistan.

Schools elsewhere in the Valley had reopened on Tuesday . Talib Dar, a student in Baramulla, said, "We are meeting our friends and teachers. We are very happy that there is a ceasefire and we can restart our studies. We will now focus on our regular classes." Zahoor Ahmad, who teaches at a government school, said peace is vital for making progress. "Students are feeling happy. Everyone understands that peace makes way for development and progress. We are thankful to God that the situation improved and we are back to schools. The exuberance is back in schools," he said.

Ahmad expressed hope that the peace prevails and the whole subcontinent moves forward in every sector along with the rest of the world. Toiba Mushtaq, a student from Sopore, said the Indo-Pak tension had affected them and ceasefire between the two countries was welcome.

Conflict affected students' studies

"We are happy now. We were tensed during the conflict because affected our studies. We were worried that it would give us only limited time to finish our syllabus. So, we are very happy that the ceasefire happened," she said. Abdul Majeed, a teacher at a school in north Kashmir, expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the ceasefire.

"Both the children and the teachers are elated. We were eagerly awaiting the reopening of schools. Conflict affects children, so these steps taken by both the countries are in a positive direction. We are thankful to our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team for realising the importance of peace. We welcome this step," he said.