Internet Ban: Kashmir School Board to Go Back to Declaring Results on Gazettes

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir board of school education is going back to its traditional way of declaring results for board exams in absence of internet services in Kashmir.

Until last year, the board provided results online and through SMS services but, since both internet and instant message services remain blocked in the region, the board has decided to reprint result gazettes this time after a gap of nearly a decade. The communication blockade was imposed in Kashmir on August 5 as the government abrogated Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state.

According to a senior official in the J&K school board, even though the examination results will be uploaded on the department’s website, but due to the lack of access to internet, a decision to print more gazettes is also under consideration.

Result gazettes were the primary source of information before the advent of internet for decades in Kashmir. The practice of Gazette publication, however, had remained confined to official documentation and record keeping for nearly a decade, the official added.

Also read: Continuing Internet Blockade in Kashmir Creates Another Major Crisis

In addition to three landline numbers, the board has decided to keep at least 10 additional result copies for each district in the valley. “This time we will likely publish around 100 additional gazettes to inform the public about the results,” he said.

While internet services have partially been restored in Jammu and Ladakh divisions, people in Kashmir still await the restoration of internet services. The annual examination for class 10 began by October 29 and for class 12 by November 18, 2019. For the primary students, the examination dates began mid-November.

Students in the region have been facing tremendous difficulties due to the lack of access to the internet. Many aspirants preparing for competitive exams and entrance tests for various medical and engineering courses were also caught in a major crisis due to the internet clampdown. To submit admission or entrance forms for tests like National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) students from across Kashmir had to travel either outside the region or distant designated locations where government has set up computers with internet facility.

Tags: Internet Ban in Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, Communication Lockdown in Kashmir, Education Board Kashmir, Board Exam Results Kashmir, Internet Ban in India, Kashmir, Abrogation of Article 370