Class XII board exam: Centre lauds Jammu and Kashmir students' turnout

New Delhi: Union human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday stated that the students from Jammu and Kashmir have given a befitting reply to terrorists as 95 per cent of them appeared for their class XII board examination in the state, which is in itself is a powerful “surgical strike”.

“In Kashmir Valley, for the past several months, schools were shut, over 30 had been burnt. But students from J&K, Leh and Ladakh have given a befitting reply to terrorists with a presence of 95 per cent in the board exam held on Monday,” the HRD minister said.

Mr Javadekar said the country believed in education and progress and the message was that no design to break the country would succeed and emphasised that this was “India’s reply”.

“I’m proud of those children and their parents who are the strength of India. Education is the way to progress. They have understood and given this befitting reply. We have seen the surgical strike of the army, but this reply given by students is also a powerful surgical strike,” he said. He said all should get a basic level of education that supports them in life.