Though even naives in Kashmir understand that winter vacations are not a concession given for preparation of examinations to students in Kashmir valley and winter zone of Jammu division but a natural compulsion enforced by inclement weather marked by heaving snowing and freezing point temperatures for three long months of winter in valley. Though for decades together the schools upto class 12 were usually shut for winter vacations from Ist December to ending February and similarly colleges would at the best be closed by December 15 but for the last three years the administrative secretaries of school and higher education departments in an attempt to undo the natural compulsions have been showing increasing tendencies to extend the date of closure of schools upto class 12 from December 1 to December 15 and colleges are now closed for winter vacations not before 31st December . This year the night temperatures started dropping below freezing points almost a month before the beginning of winter due to early snowfall in November and consequently the children in primary and middle schools falling in the age group of 6-14 years particularly those enrolled in government run schools find it very difficult to reach schools in the dithering cold in morning hours.
Even in the famed private schools in Srinagar barring Burn hall and presentation convent schools the proper heating arrangements are not available in the class rooms and majority of the private schools use LPG heaters having no facility of smoke emission. In such a scenario extending the timing of winter vacations for schools and colleges speaks volumes about the unwise decisions the babus controlling the twin departments of school and higher education department take in total contrast to ground realities in Kashmir.
The worst hit by the prolonging of the dates of the winter vacations are the children enrolled in government run schools due to non availability of heating arrangements. The administrative secretaries of school and higher education departments running their routine administrative work from their centrally heated cozy office chambers of civil secretariat in Jammu can’t have any idea about the troubles the children are facing in the class rooms of government run schools in Kashmir valley. In a very sorry state of affairs the Director School Education Kashmir this year moved a proposal for winter vacation only after angered parents called up newspaper offices to narrate the intolerable tales of difficulties children are facing in the class rooms of government run schools where adequate heating arrangements have not been put in place. Even in the famed private schools in Srinagar barring Burn hall and presentation convent schools the proper heating arrangements are not available in the class rooms and majority of the private schools use LPG heaters having no facility of smoke emission. In such a scenario extending the timing of winter vacations for schools and colleges speaks volumes about the unwise decisions the babus controlling the twin departments of school and higher education department take in total contrast to ground realities in Kashmir.
