Editorial
Strikes clash with exam dates
Examinees in distress
AS the political impasse on the current stalemate between the two contending alliances continues, the fate of an estimated two million school children scheduled to appear for Junior Secondary Certificate (JSC) and Junior Dakhil Certificate (JDC) examinations in November has become uncertain. Indeed, going by newspaper reports, the dates given by both the ruling alliance and the opposition for sit-ins, blockade and other agitation programmes clash directly with the schedule for examinations for these two categories of examinees. Another estimated three million primary and Ebtedai students are likely to face the same fate since their respective examinations in November clash with the proposed 18-party alliance's "non-stop agitation" due to start from November 17.
We are stunned to see the complete lack of understanding on the part of the opposition about the fate of millions of children with regards to education. The best would be to shun hartals altogether. Otherwise, the 18-party alliance should shift the dates to accommodate the examinees.
We are constantly being lectured by various parties on how these strikes and blockades are being conducted to uphold peoples' right to exercise their franchise. What about peoples' right to education, that too is a fundamental right? Turning a blind eye to the education calendar, and one that entails the fate of so many millions of young people, is gross negligence of duty on the part of the political parties, irrespective of which camp they belong, and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.
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