NEW DELHI: Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday said 95% students in Jammu & Kashmir appeared for their 12th state board examinations today and that in itself is a befitting reply to militants and a powerful surgical strike as well.
Stating that this was the way people of J&K have responded to ill intentions of the terrorists that have paralysed the state, Javadekar said the country believed in education and progress and the message was that no design to break the country would succeed.
"Schools were forced to be shut and over 30 then were burnt in Kashmir Valley since past few months. But students from J &K, and Ladakh have given a befitting reply to terrorists with then taking their examinations in such big numbers," Javadekar spoke on the sidelines of the function organized in the national capital.
Hailing the children and their parents, the minister said : “We have seen the surgical strike of the army, but this reply given by students is also a powerful surgical strike".
The annual Class 12 board examinations in the Kashmir Valley kick off today at nearly 480 examination centres set up for more than 45,000 candidates.
The minister also made it clear that compulsory class 10th board examinations will be introduced for CBSE students from the next academic session 2017-18.
"There is no confusion, today that more than 23 million students appear for tenth board examination over the country through state boards. For CBSE also half the students appear for the exam, while half don't appear because there was an option available," Javadekar pointed out.
Now those 2 million who chose the option will also have to take the exam, he said. The measure, however, he emphasized will be implemented from the next academic year, saying goalposts or rules should not be shifted mid-course. The move will bring about parity with state boards, he pointed out.