Schools reopen in Jammu after fortnight-long rain-forced closure

Schools reopened in the Jammu zone on Wednesday after being closed for the last fortnight due to heavy rain, floods, and landslides. Beginning on August 26, heavy rains pounded the region with such severity that many people lost their lives, and physical infrastructure went through massive damage.

“Schools have reopened in the region today. They were shut down following the rain fury since the end of August,” an education department official said.

Some schools may remain shut due to the damage, he added.

With their reopening, schools were thronged by students, who shared their enthusiasm.

“We are happy to return to school and meet our friends. We are meeting our teachers again. Our education has suffered. Now we will focus more on completing the syllabus,” said Sunita, a class 8 student of a convent school.

Arvind of KC School said it was boring to stay at home. “We are back to school. We love coming to school, meeting all our friends and teachers, and playing.”

A teacher said this is the moment to make up for the lost time. “It was long-awaited to join back our schools and be with our students. We are happy to be here. We will work hard to make up for the loss of one fortnight,” the person said.

The Director of School Education Jammu has ordered following all safety measures before the schools are reopened.

No offline classes will commence in either government or private schools until a valid structural safety certificate is issued by the competent authority, the order said.

“HOs and School Management Committees must evaluate the overall preparedness of their respective schools after obtaining the safety certificate,” it said.

However, in case the school authority is satisfied that their building does not require a safety audit, being structurally safe, the school is required to furnish an undertaking certifying the claim.

The undertaking should be furnished to the chief education officers or zonal education officers before the commencement of offline classes.