Phased winter vacations for schools of Kashmir Valley have been announced and it is well said that better late than never. What concerns the people in Kashmir Valley and winter zone of Jammu division is the chaos and confusion gripping one and all ,i.e, the students, the parents and the teachers about the exact timing of winter vacations year after after. Given the fact that winter vacations for schools of Kashmir Valley and winter zone of Jammu division is not a concession but a compulsion thrown up by the weather vagaries of winter which leave no scope for the Government to keep schools open during harshest months of winter in valley. Knowing all about the compulsions in closing down the educational institutions for two and half months of harsh winter season administrative wisdom demands that the schedule for winter vacations is fixed once for ever without leaving any scope for debate and discussion over the issue year after year. Never forget that vacations for winter are a natural compulsion enforced by inclement weather marked by heaving snowing and freezing temperatures for about two and a half months 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 in recent years the administrative secretaries of school and higher education departments are 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 after 31st December. Like the previous year this year also the night temperatures started dropping below freezing points almost a month before the beginning of winter immediately after 15th 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. 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.
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 decisions the officers controlling the twin departments of school and higher education department take in total contrast to ground realities of winter in Kashmir.
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 and winter zone of Jammu division. 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 decisions the officers controlling the twin departments of school and higher education department take in total contrast to ground realities of winter in Kashmir.
