J&K schools to close for winter break from December 5

Srinagar, November 25

The J&K administration has decided to announce the closure of schools for the winter vacations as classrooms are without heating facilities.

The decision came two months after the government decided to implement the uniform academic calendar to keep schools open for classwork during winter and conduct the annual examinations in March-April.

Administration’s u-turn

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• The School Education Department has decided to close the schools in a phased manner in Kashmir and the winter zones of Jammu division from December 5 to February 28
• The previous decision had incurred sharp reactions from academicians and parents in the Kashmir valley
• This year, the annual examinations for Classes IX to XII were not held, which disturbed the academic plans of students

Officials said the School Education Department had decided to close the schools in a phased manner in Kashmir and the winter zones of Jammu division from December 5 to February 28.

Primary schools up to Class V will close for the winter vacation from December 5, an official said. The schools for students of Classes VI, VII and VIII will close on December 12, he said.

For the secondary and senior secondary schools, which are for Classes IX and XII students, he said winter vacations would start on December 19.

“It is ordered that all government and private schools up to higher secondary level of Kashmir and the winter zone of Jammu shall observe winter vacation,” reads an order issued today by Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary, School Education Department.

Nearly 1.4 million students of Kashmir and some parts of Jammu would have been affected by the government’s earlier order to keep schools open during winter.

The previous decision had incurred sharp reactions from academicians and parents. Academicians and parents had opposed the decision given lack of heating facilities available in schools.

Earlier, annual examinations in Kashmir were held in October and the academic session would start in November before closing the schools for a two-month winter break in January.