Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board has issued guidelines for schools run and controlled by it so as to implement the reformative measures prescribed under the National Education Policy 2020.
The Board stated that there shall be no homework for up to class 2nd and no school bags for nursery and UKG students.
According to a circular, the Waqf Board has issued instructions for daily, monthly, and annual timetables and schedule of activities to be undertaken by the schools.
As per the circular, the daily timetable shall have 6 periods (time slots) of 30 minutes each for teaching subjects. “Five periods for compulsory subjects, like English, Maths, Science, Social Science and Urdu and 6th period to be utilized for teaching of optional subjects, like Computers, Kashmiri, Arabic, Islamiyat, Literature on Sufi saints on a rotational basis.”
It reads schools should have compulsorily one hour reserved every day for extra-curricular activities, which shall be split into two parts of 30 minutes each in the first and second half of the day.
It also calls for the house system to be established in every school for intra-school co-curricular and sports competitions.
“To inculcate a sense of belongingness and healthy competition among students, all the school heads are instructed to divide the students into four houses: senior boys, senior girls, junior boys and junior girls, on the names of following famous Sufi Saints — Hazrat Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani (RA), Hazrat Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani (RA), Hazrat Sheikh Hamzah Makhdoom (RA) and Hazrat Shah-e-Hamadan (RA).
It added that the sports calendar for the year shall include competitions in sports activities. “Similarly, competitions shall also be held round the year in co-curricular activities. Three days in a month shall be reserved completely for sports and co-curricular competitions. No academic activities shall be carried out on those days.”
The circular says that the school authorities shall allocate at least one period of 30 minutes per month for the House meetings, so that the House Committee members can interact, motivate and plan the house activities under guidance of respective House Masters.
“In the months of September and October, Inter Waqf School Competitions shall be carried-out and the winners shall be rewarded. Morning Assembly, after brief prayers, shall consist of news headlines, thought for the day/a brief talent show of individual or a group of students/amazing facts/personality of the day/volunteer for a minute & similar other “exciting stuff”. Lectures by teachers during the Morning Assembly shall be avoided.”
The circular also says there shall be no school bag for classes Nursery to UKG and no homework for classes Nursery to 2nd.
“School Bag Policy & NEP-2020 guidelines in this regard shall be followed strictly. Orientation programmes for school heads regarding the execution of proposed changes shall be held separately,” it added.
