Srinagar, Sept 30: A group of students from two Sopore schools, Sanctorum School and SRM Welkin, on Wednesday witnessed the live proceedings of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, becoming the first two schools from north Kashmir’s Baramulla district to attend an Assembly session.
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather welcomed them to the J&K Legislative Assembly and appreciated Sopore MLA Irshad Rasool Kar for facilitating their visit to witness the proceedings of the House.
The Speaker praised the initiative of bringing young students to the legislature, saying such exposure would help them understand the functioning of democratic institutions.
Sopore MLA Irshad Rasool Kar also informed the House that the school band has been selected to represent Kashmir in New Delhi on the occasion of Republic Day.
The Speaker appreciated the achievement and congratulated the students and the school for the opportunity to represent Kashmir at the national-level event.
The students observed the proceedings from the visitors’ gallery and got a first-hand view of the functioning of the legislature and the proceedings of elected representatives.
They expressed appreciation for the school management, particularly the Sopore MLA, for providing them an opportunity to witness the Assembly proceedings in person.
The visit allowed the students to observe legislative proceedings beyond textbooks and classroom discussions, and gain an understanding of how debates and business are conducted in the House.
Speaking to Kashmir Convener Aqsa Masrat a student from SRM Welkin Sopore described the visit as eye-opening. “We often watch on TV screens how laws and policies are put forth, but today we got to see that from a first-hand experience,” she said. “In real time, we saw how policies are made, how different debates and discussions are held, how one side pushes one thing forward and the other side counterbacks.”
Aqsa emphasized the value of learning beyond textbooks. “The information outside the textbook and the lessons we need beyond the textbook in this world — in order to understand how systems work, especially the government — I think it’s very important,” she said, adding that the session was “very productive” and the students felt “blessed and honoured” for the opportunity.
Another student Naira Nausheen stated that the visit provided insight into how democracy functions at its core. We saw the legislators talk and debate about multiple points, she said it gave us a brief idea about how the representatives we choose talk about and propose different ideas and solutions, and how they are debated in the parliament.
Speaking on the initiative, Sanctorum MD Shakir Ashraf said it was important for students to understand how the political system functions and get direct exposure to the proceedings of the Assembly.
“In today’s era, it is important for students to get first-hand experience of all happenings, especially to see our political setup and how our politicians do business in the Assembly,” he said.
Shakir Ashraf said students are the future leaders and that exposure to the functioning of democratic institutions at an early stage could help them in the future.
“They are future leaders and at this stage, if they get first-hand experience, it will help them in future,” he said.
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