“The decision of the government is unjustified as all the staff and students are fully vaccinated.”

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SRINAGAR — As the Jammu and Kashmir administration has ordered the closure of Coaching Centres across the valley in view of rising covid-19 cases, the Coaching Centre Association of Kashmir (CCAK) has expressed disappointment terming the administration’s decision as unjustified.

The spokesperson of the Association, Javed Ahmad said that whenever there is even a slight increase in the number of Covid-19 cases, the education sector becomes the first casualty. “The decision of the government is unjustified as all the students studying in coaching centres are fully vaccinated.”

Questioning the government’s rationale behind the decision, Ahmad said that while all the other activities like festivals, businesses, overcrowded public transport and rallies are being allowed, only the students are made to suffer.

“The decision of closing down of coaching centres will have a severe impact on the students. Last year also, they closed everything and when the exam time came, they decided to go ahead with it without even realising that the students have not studied.”

A NEET aspirant hoping to crack the examinations this year rued the government decision. “I have not been able to go regularly to tuitions since Class 11. I have been managing my studies on my own. Government is conducting exams while also ordering the closure of coaching centres without realising that the students have not studied anything.”

Inaam said that while all the activities are being allowed, as usual, the government has targeted the coaching centres. “Besides everything else, hundreds of tourists are allowed and even without masks.”

Hamid Mufti, President of the Coaching Centre’s Association Kashmir said the Government without even consulting the stakeholders decided to shut down coaching centres. He said the staff and students are all vaccinated. “If the government had consulted us, we would have given an alternative.”

Meanwhile, the authorities on Monday sealed several coaching centres in the Bandipora district for violating COVID SOPs.

An official of the district administration said that the enforcement team led by tehsildar Bandipora, Sheikh Tariq Ahmad along with other officers closed the private coaching institutes.