Hundreds of students of Jahanzeb College, Degree College, and the Swat University in Mingora, staged a protest on Monday. The students marched from Saidu Sharif to Mingora Grassy Ground where the main road was blocked and a sit-in was called. They also chanted slogans against the education department.
Twelfth grader Muhammad Ali told the Daily Times that the entire year had been wasted due to the Corona epidemic and lockdown. “We have not even been taught the full course, so how can we take the exam?” he added.
Noor Hussain said, “Our academic year has passed in vacations due to corona epidemic, classes have not been taken and we have not been taught properly.”
Examinations are being conducted by the education department in June and July. It is unacceptable; we should be given time to study and we should be taught the full course, he added.
The students chanted slogans during the protest and demanded that the education department and the provincial government reschedule the exams.
During the protest, students blocked Main Saidu Sharif Road for all kinds of traffic for several hours, disrupting the traffic system in Mingora city and causing long queues of vehicles, causing severe hardship to the people.
It is to be noted that the Department of Education has announced Matriculation and Intermediate examinations in the months of June and July on which the students are unhappy and protesting.
Educationist Muhammad Arif Khan told the Daily Times that the student’s protest was justified, “as their academic year was wasted and students would not be able to take the exams in such circumstances, the government announced new syllabus for students and give them time to take exams properly,” he said.
After the students’ protest, an emergency meeting was convened between the control of Swat Education Board, District Education Officers, and senior officials of the district administration to consider whether to take the exams or not and to come up with an effective strategy to conclude soon.