Srinagar: Chorus has grown for the restoration of academic session in Jammu and Kashmir schools to the traditional November-December period after the formation of the elected government in the Union Territory.
The parents and private school owners describe the new system as a waste of time and energy.
The J&K government in 2022 shifted the academic session from November to March saying the move will ensure a uniform academic calendar, which in turn will be synchronised to the national academic calendar.
However, the decision was met with criticism from various quarters, especially parents of the children who had said the new session was a waste of time.
The Lieutenant Governor’s administration went on with the change and the academic session was shifted to March.
After J&K’s new Education Minister Sakina Itoo took over, the demand for the restoration of the traditional session has grown.
The minister has said the government would seek suggestions from the stakeholders before taking the decision on the restoration of the session.
The chorus for a review of the academic calendar and the restoration of the traditional session has received support from various quarters.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expressed support for the restoration of the November-December school session, welcoming it as a necessary reversal of what it termed a “patently retrograde decision”.
In a statement, PDP leader and former Education minister Naeem Akhtar criticized the March session for causing significant academic losses. He stressed that the October session had been implemented decades ago, keeping in mind Jammu and Kashmir’s unique climatic and topographical challenges.
Akhtar explained that a committee headed by the then Governor Bhagwan Sahai had recommended the academic calendar best suited to the region’s conditions. This change, he added, had proven immensely beneficial, ensuring students did not lose precious learning time due to harsh winters and other disruptions.
“We welcome the government’s move and hope it marks the first step towards meaningful educational reforms,” Akhtar said. He emphasized that the focus of future policies must remain on quality education, especially in government schools, which form the backbone of the public education system.
The PDP leader called for sustained efforts to center student welfare in all policies and urged the government to prioritize reforms that enhance academic standards in the region.
People’s Conference chief and MLA Handwara Sajad Gani Lone also supported the year-end session.
“I personally fully support restoring the academic session to examinations in November. Apart from the weather variables, it gives our students an academic head start.
“Most admissions happen from June onwards. Our students would get six extra months to prepare for entrance examinations and admissions,” Lone said in a post on X.
He said climatically, the academic session in Kashmir is ideal for end-of-year exams, and academically, it gives the students a vital advantage.
“I fail to understand why it was changed,” he added.
Many parents and other stakeholders including the private school owners have sought a return to the November-December session.
A parent Mehraj Ahmad, the new session only wastes the time of the children. “The year-end session was very suitable for us. March is a wet season.
“It not only prolongs the session, but also leads to an increase in the anxiety among the students. The old system was good, and we should revert to that season,” he said.
Ahmad said the current session breaks the continuity for the students.
“We have to have winter vacations from December to February-end because of the harsh winter. So, the school students, who usually have completed their syllabi by then, have to wait for their exams till after the vacations get over.
“It breaks their continuity and causes an increased stress in their minds,” Ahmad added.
The Private Schools Association JK (PSAJK) has also urged the new J&K government for a session change.
“PSAJK hopes the new government will prioritise the long-awaited session change from March to November,” the association has said.
PSAJK president G N Var, while supporting the demand for the restoration of the November session, said any decision taken by the government on education should be logic-driven and based on data and evidence.
“Vacations are a part of overall development of children wherein they relax, enjoy and prepare their mind for the next classes. Is there any other state in the country where examinations take place after vacations? So, why here?” Var asked.
“The March-April session is a waste of time and energy for the children. They have to study from March to November, during which time they complete their syllabi.
“But then they have to wait for the exams till winter vacation gets over. Sometimes the exams do not take place till June which wastes their time,” he said.
Var said the students should get a minimum of 180 days of schooling but “we have got around 125 days only because of the March session”. He also said the academic session can be shifted this year only without any wastage of time of the students.
“We can have assessments of the students by December-end at the school-level. The PSAJK also offers to do free assessment of the government schools according to the New Education Policy. Then after the vacations, the examinations for class 12 can be held,” the PSAJK president added.
Officials in the J&K’s School Education Department said the proposal is under the active consideration of the government.
“We are talking to the stakeholders. The pros and cons of the decision are being considered.
“We have to keep in mind that there should be no disturbance in the education and the session. We have to ensure there should be minimum loss. When all the things will be considered, then we can go ahead with it,” the officials said. (With additional inputs from PTI)
