Riyaz Bhat
Srinagar, Feb 21: As schools in Kashmir division reopened on Wednesday, dozens of government-run-schools in different areas of frontier district Kupwara district remain cut off due to accumulated snow.
A group of teachers informed that nearly 250 government schools in the district are falling under Zone-V. These areas are also known as hard zones.
One of the teachers said that most of the schools in hard zones of the district are inaccessible currently. “A minimum of three feet of snow is all around in the majority of such government schools especially in Machil, Keran and Tangdar sectors.”
He said in the Machil area, there were two higher secondary schools, a high school, and six to seven middle schools but most of these schools were under a minimum of 4-feet of snow.
Meanwhile another teacher of Kupwara district said that the Jumgand area of the district has a high school, two middle schools, and three primary schools but roads to these institutes were yet to be cleared. “There is no access to these schools as the accumulated snow of around 5-6 feet is ‘yet to get cleared’.
Likewise, in the Budnambal area of the district, a high school, four middle schools and three primary schools remain cut off. “It will take at least a week to clear the road of snow.”
In the Keran area of the district, there are around 15 to 20 government schools including primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools and the roads leading to the schools have not been cleared of the accumulated snow.
Harkin Top, which is the only way to access these schools, continues to remain covered under the snow. Similarly, from Sadhna Top areas, many schools are inaccessible due to accumulated snow.
Chief Education Officer Kupwara Abdul Majeed Dar said that there are some schools in the hard zones of the district which remain under accumulated snow. “I think in 2-3 days, all schools in the district will open.”
“In case of those teachers who couldn’t attend the schools today because of inaccessible roads, they reported to nearby Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) and cluster offices,” he said.
The CEO further said that a very few schools in the Tangdhar sector couldn’t be reopened today because of the accumulated snow. “However, rest of the schools reopened normally.”
