Valley shivers, private schools push for early winter vacation

Samaan lateef

Srinagar, November 20

The Private Schools Association of Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJK) has urged the UT Administration to prioritise the announcement of winter vacations in Kashmir, especially for lower classes, due to a sudden dip in temperature and foggy conditions.

The Association said it is receiving representations from parents and schools about the challenging weather conditions. “For a 4-year-old, getting up early and preparing for school in this weather is extremely difficult. We are not a developed nation where houses, buses, and schools are centrally-heated. We have to adapt to the weather,” said a spokesperson of PSAJK. “Even for parents, preparing their wards for schools is a difficult task,” he added.

The Association also said that exposure to extreme foggy conditions and minus temperatures can negatively impact children’s health. In schools, these children struggle to focus, resulting in the entire class exercise going to waste. “To safeguard the health of our children, we urge the government to announce winter vacations as early as possible,” the spokesperson said.

PSAJK reiterated its demand for adjusting the academic calendar in accordance with the local weather. “We have repeatedly conveyed to the government that the March session is not feasible for Kashmir. Our schools usually complete their syllabus up to November. We have harsh winters, and during the March session, winter months are simply lost, as students don’t know whether to revise old lessons or use the time to study the syllabus of new classes,” he said.

The Association suggested aligning the academic calendar of Kashmir with local weather conditions. “Administration orders cannot change weather conditions, and it is in the best interest that we switch back to the old calendar. The March session has created numerous problems, and it needs to be dealt with before more damage is done. The October session is a norm in almost every country that has harsh winters,” he said.