J&K Students' Association demands exam centres of JNU, DU, JMI & AMU in Srinagar

New Delhi: Jammu & Kashmir Students Association on Wednesday wrote to university authorities here in the Capital demanding that the entrance exam centres of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University for Kashmiri students in Srinagar.

The demand comes in the wake of shortage of vaccines and the impending third wave.

Speaking to Millennium Post, Shaqib, a DU student from Srinagar said that he decided to raise the issue in front of universities as he faced difficulties while giving Jamia's entrance. "Jamia's entrance test was in Delhi, so was JNU's - in such a case students like me who are not yet vaccinated due to shortage of vaccines face problems," he added.

He further said that with the alert of a third wave already announced, students from Kashmir and various other states will face difficulties travelling. "We can not waste our time due to the pandemic. If we are getting a chance to give the entrance, we should not let it go," he further said.

The students union has also urged L-G Manoj Sinha to take up the issue of arranging entrance exam centres in the Valley.

While JNU is yet to announce the dates for its entrance test, the AMU has already started the admission process.

In a statement, Spokesperson of the Association, Nasir Khuehami said that hundreds of students from Kashmir Valley are appearing in Entrance Examination for 2021-2022 in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi University (DU), Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI) and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

"The problem is that students from Kashmir have their centres 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 in exams. Most of the students are hailing from marganilised communities," he added.

JKSA Secretary Davood Ahmad said that it will be very inconvenient for 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't afford the travel and accommodation expenses," he said.