NEW DELHI: Questioning the government’s claim of restoring normalcy in the Valley, data obtained from sources in the government shows only 0.01 per cent students in Srinagar attended schools Monday.
The number was poor is in other districts, too. For instance, the attendance stood at 0.1 per cent in Ganderbal, 0.48 per cent in Kupwara while in Baramulla it was ‘thin’. In Budgam, students’ attendance was highest at 37 per cent.
On the other hand, government data points to ‘normalcy’ in the functioning of government departments.
On average, the attendance at offices of the District Commissioners was well over 90 per cent as on September 16 — from a minimum of 88.6 per cent in Ganderbal to 100 per cent in Bandipora. In other government offices, too, the data largely presents a similar picture of ‘normalcy’ except Srinagar, where only 5 per cent of staff turned up for work on Monday.
The poor turnout of students can be gauged from the fact that in some districts, the number of schools surpasses the number of students attending. For instance, 1,080 schools were open in Anantnag on Monday but a total of only 125 students showed up in the primary, middle as well as high schools.
In Kupwara, 1,503 schools were open but only 464 students showed up. The attendance of teachers, however, was not as poor.