Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Wednesday urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to establish centres for entrance examinations to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI), Delhi University, and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) for Kashmiri students in Srinagar amid the COVID-19.
Issuing a statement, the spokesperson of the Association, Nasir Khuehami, said that it is not possible for the students to afford air tickets to travel to other states and appear for exams as most of the them are hailing from marginalised communities.
"Hundreds of students from the Kashmir Valley are appearing for the entrance examinations for JNU, Delhi University (DU), JMI, and AMU. The problem is that students from Kashmir have their centers in Delhi and Aligarh. The present circumstances of COVID-19 could prove fatal for the aspirants. The students said that it is not possible for them to afford air tickets to travel to other states and appear for exams. Most of the students are hailing from marginalised communities," Khuehami stated.
Khuehami also expressed the parents' fear, who said that their wards are being compelled to travel for appearing in these upcoming examinations.
As the examinations will be conducted from the next month, many students fear contagion, are giving second thoughts to traveling. It is going to be a lot of a hassle for students to travel to Delhi and other places when most of the students are not vaccinated as yet, and there is also a possibility of the third wave, he added.
Despite the pandemic, no centre has been allotted to Kashmir by these universities which has left the local students high and dry.
JKSA Secretary Davood Ahmad said: "It will be very inconvenient for the Kashmiri students to travel all the way and spend money on accommodation in other states if their examination centres are not arranged locally. This is a grave situation especially for the students belonging to the average income group who can not afford the travel and accommodation expenses."
He further requested LG Sinha to urgently look into the matter and hoped that he will take up this issue at the appropriate level.
( With inputs from ANI )
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