Kashmir Students Left in Limbo as JKBOSE Defies Court Order on Admit Cards

Kashmir Students Left in Limbo as JKBOSE Defies Court Order on Admit Cards

Despite a court directive, the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) has refused to issue admit cards to 22 students of Islamic Global School, leaving their academic future in jeopardy as the Class 10 Board exams are set to commence on Monday, February 17.

As of Saturday evening, parents, teachers, and members of the Private Schools Association of Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJK) continued their wait at the JKBOSE office in Bemina, only to be met with official apathy. Employees at the board office maintained that they could not act without orders from JKBOSE Chairman Parikshat Singh Manhas, who remained unavailable. Calls to him went unanswered.

Dr Syed Souleh Nissa, spokesperson for PSAJK, who accompanied the distressed parents and students, said that the board employees left the premises without issuing the admit cards. “Tomorrow is Sunday, but they said they would report if the chairman directs them to do so,” she told reporters.

Parents, growing increasingly frustrated, decried the delay as unjust and harmful to their children’s academic prospects. “We are waiting in the cold, pleading for something that is rightfully ours,” said one parent, visibly distressed.

The controversy stems from a decision by the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) in December 2024 to tag Class 9 and 10 students of Islamic Global School with a nearby government institution, Boys Higher Secondary School Natipora, to ensure their education was not disrupted. The Chief Education Officer (CEO) Srinagar had accordingly communicated to JKBOSE, requesting it to register the 22 students and accept their examination forms.

Despite these directives, JKBOSE failed to process their registration, citing the need for the chairman’s approval. With no resolution forthcoming, the school management approached the judiciary, securing a court order in favour of the students. Yet, JKBOSE has continued to withhold the roll number slips, defying both the court and government instructions.

The issue has sparked widespread condemnation. PSAJK President G N War criticised JKBOSE’s inaction, stating, “Who will be responsible for ruining the careers of these innocent students?” Meanwhile, MLA Handwara and J&K People’s Conference Chairman Sajad Lone also weighed in, holding the government accountable for allowing unregistered schools to operate unchecked. He insisted that it was the state’s duty to ensure the affected students were not punished for the school’s administrative lapses.

MLA Zadibal and National Conference chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq echoed these concerns, urging Education Minister Sakeena Itoo to intervene. “These students shouldn’t suffer for no fault of theirs. Their future is at stake,” he wrote on social media. However, Itoo has yet to respond to the growing demands for action.

JKBOSE sources hinted that the matter had reached the Chief Minister’s Office, raising hopes of a last-minute resolution. However, with exams set to begin in less than 48 hours, the fate of these 22 students remains uncertain.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by VoM News staff and is published from the syndicated feed)