Administration mulls winter vacation for schools as cold wave grips Valley

Samaan Lateef

Srinagar, November 22

The Jammu and Kashmir administration is “seriously” considering winter vacation for schools in the Valley in view of the minimum temperatures dropping below the freezing point over the last three days.

Divisional Commissioner VK Bhiduri mentioned that a proposal has been submitted, and while a formal announcement is pending, the government must ensure a balanced approach to prevent academic setbacks.

“I cannot say anything definitely till a formal announcement is made but we are seriously considering it (winter vacations). A proposal has been submitted in this regard (to the administration),” Bhiduri told reporters here.

Bhiduri said while it is easy for the administration to announce winter vacations, it also has to ensure that the students do not suffer academically.

“We have to balance both things. The academic session of schools is planned and we have to figure in several things, including board examinations. The way the weather has changed, the government is considering this issue (winter vacation). A formal announcement will be made in a day or two,” he said.

The officials said schools are likely to be closed in a phased manner according to past practice.

“We may not close all the classes in one go. Maybe primary classes will be closed in the beginning, then middle level and later senior secondary classes. In all likelihood, the primary classes will continue only till the end of this week,” he said.

In light of severe power outages reported across Kashmir, the Divisional Commissioner acknowledged the challenges posed by the early and intense onset of winter, coupled with reduced rainfall, impacting generation capacity.

“The reported 4 to 6 hours for metered and 8 to 10 hours for non-metered outages are true on the ground. However, there are reasons for this — demand has surged suddenly, especially in flat-rate power areas where demand increases up to tenfold. We are compelled to implement distress cuts to preserve the transmission setup,” he explained.

Kumar revealed the formation of a government committee for additional power purchase, assuring improvements in power supply within a week at the maximum. “Unscheduled power cuts are painful and I acknowledge that. We are actively addressing this issue. I hope things will have improved significantly within a week.”

Appealing to the public for judicious power use and refraining from crude heating gadgets, he stated, “The Lieutenant Governor has also raised the matter with the central government, and we are diligently working on it as a priority to ensure enhanced power supply.”

The minimum temperature in Kashmir valley has fallen significantly since Sunday night with the mercury in a freefall in Srinagar where the minimum temperature last night was minus 1.8 degrees Celsius—two degrees below normal for this time of the year.

Also, over the last three days, dense fog has been witnessed early morning when children go to school. Asked if the government has directed educational institutions to make heating arrangements, Bhiduri said the schools have been sensitised about this need.

“We cannot issue general instructions as some schools have good heating arrangements and some don’t. However, we have sensitised the schools about the issue,” he said.

Private Schools Association of Jammu and Kashmir has asked the government to consider announcing winter vacations for lower classes because of the cold wave conditions in the Valley.