SRINAGAR:Situated in Pattan, the Sheikh ul Alam High School has been a vital educational hub for the local community. For three decades, this institution has served the educational needs of the region, offering affordable education to local children.
However, dark clouds now loom over the school as it faces closure. The school, which operates on state land, has been accused of violating regulations and has been sealed by officials.
The Private Schools Association of Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJK) is urging the government to show some heart and reopen the school. The school found itself on the wrong side of the law when officials decided to lock it up without waiting for a green light from the High Court.
The legality of land use for schools is already tangled up in court, and the Supreme Court has made it clear that when educational institutions or hospitals occupy state land, authorities should tread carefully and not rush to seal them shut.
But, as per a PSAJK spokesperson, officials seem to have missed the memo. “They just went ahead and sealed the place, leaving around 300 students out in the cold,” they said. “The manner in which this happened has deeply affected these children. They’re traumatised.”
The situation at the school couldn’t be more dire. “Without proper classrooms, students are sitting on mats on the ground. They’re studying under the blazing sun or even in the rain. They’re surrounded by heaps of trash and clouds of dust. Mothers have to fetch water bottles all day long. Students are frequently falling ill, and there’s no privacy for anyone, not the students, not the teachers,” said G. N. Var, president of PSAJK.
This is an affordable school, with fees below Rs 300. Every year, they achieve a 100 percent pass rate in high school classes. The school has churned out doctors, engineers, and other successful professionals.
The Association is now appealing to the district administration and the Lieutenant Governor to step in and reopen the school, not for the red tape, but for the sake of humanity.
