Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said women are not responsible for the violence and discrimination that they face, asserting that parents and the society as a whole have a responsibility to ensure that girls grow up in a safe and equitable environment.
Abdullah said this while addressing the annual-day function, titled “Clock Tower Cosmos”, of the Presentation Convent Higher Secondary School in Srinagar’s Rajbagh.
The school is commemorating 250 years of the Presentation Congregation and its own 90-year legacy in Kashmir.
Various cultural programmes were organised by the students.
Referring to the cultural performances, Abdullah said one of the most powerful messages of the evening came through a musical skit that questioned whether the society is truly equitable and fair to its daughters.
The skit highlighted several serious social issues concerning women and girls, including child marriage, acid attacks, female foeticide, domestic violence and gender-based violence.
The chief minister particularly appreciated the message conveyed by the students that the responsibility for violence and discrimination against women cannot be placed on the victims.
“It is not the girl who is responsible for what happens. It is us who have not been able to teach our sons how to be better human beings,” he said, describing the message as an eye-opener for the society.
Abdullah said the confidence, talent and composure displayed by the students were particularly encouraging.
“The talent that we saw here, the confidence, but also the ability to not get shaken, gives me immense confidence,” he said.
Abdullah emphasised that parents and the society as a whole have a responsibility to ensure that girls grow up in a safe and equitable environment.
“I believe our girls are safe here. And I believe with such confident students of this school, the future of Jammu and Kashmir is safe with girls of this calibre,” he said.
He added that such confidence among the girl students of Jammu and Kashmir augurs well for the region’s future.
“We are not just producing educated girls, we are producing confident girls. And this confidence gives me the confidence that the future of Jammu and Kashmir will be secure,” Abdullah said.
Recalling his association with the institution, the chief minister said he had started his schooling here as a kindergarten student nearly 50 years ago, when it was a co-education school.
He said this often comes as a surprise to many as Presentation Convent in Kashmir has long been perceived as an institution that is exclusively for girls.
Expressing happiness at returning to his alma mater, Abdullah said it was particularly heartening to witness the confidence, talent and composure of the students.
“Fifty years ago, I was a student of this great institution,” he recalled.
Abdullah acknowledged the rich history of the Presentation Congregation and the institution. He said the ideals with which the congregation was founded 250 years ago and the ethos that led to the establishment of the Presentation Convent School in Srinagar continue to be alive.
He said the school has transformed over 90 years from being merely a school into a distinguished institution, with its reputation reflected in the demand for admission.
Abdullah said the school has contributed significantly to the society by producing civil servants, doctors, police officers, engineers, business leaders, sportspersons and lawmakers.
He stressed that education must go beyond academic achievements and should encourage young people to think independently and speak up.
“We have to teach our children not just to follow, not just to obey, but to question, to ask, to demand,” he said.
The chief minister congratulated the principal, faculty members, students, parents and the entire Presentation Convent community for organising the annual-day function and commemorating the institution’s remarkable journey.
