“While teachers perform the duty of teaching and complete the syllabus in given timelines, the Director School Education and Chief Education Officer are yet to establish the record of extending prompt heating facilities to Government schools before the commencement of winter annually”.
Schools in Kashmir are always shut for winter vacation much before the commencement of December for the health safety of Children and there is no question of any compromise on the completion of syllabus by teachers in schools. Since the teachers of Valley schools had the reputation of completing syllabus in given timelines till last year when even the examinations were held in November but not in March as per the revised schedule. While schools teachers are more concerned about the completion of syllabus than the Director School Education and Chief Education Officers overseeing the working of schools and administrative matters of Education Department in districts of their own jurisdictions, the Director School Education and Chief Education Officers are not unfortunately as deeply concerned about the availability of heating facilities during winters in schools as are the teachers particularly headmasters and Principals . While teachers perform the duty of teaching and complete the syllabus in given timelines, the Director School Education and Chief Education Officer are yet to establish the record of extending prompt heating facilities to Government schools before the commencement of winter annually. Fact remains that Government particularly the Directorate Of School Education has never ever asked private schools to arrange heating facilities for the chilly winter season and it is an irrefutable fact that barring a few missionary private schools thousands of private school don’t even think about arranging heating facilities for running classes during winters in valley.
Before talking about keeping schools open till the weather permits better for the Government and Director School Education to think about the increasing vulnerability of both children and teachers to bigger health risks in schools not equipped with adequate heating facilities. Experiences of decades show that winter vacations give more relief and respite to students than the teachers who otherwise also attend training programs at the DIETs (District Institutes of Education & Trainings) of their concerned districts during peak winter months of December, January and February. Administrative wisdom demands that decision on winter vacations is taken more for the health safety of the students and less for completion of their syllabus and attendance of teachers during winter at Government schools.
It is also an irrefutable fact that while Government schools in Srinagar city and majority of towns in Jammu & Kashmir are functioning from the spacious buildings owned by the school education department, the Government schools in most of remote rural areas are run from semi concrete hired buildings. Before talking about keeping schools open till the weather permits better for the Government and the Director School Education to think about the increasing vulnerability of both the children and teachers to bigger health risks in schools not equipped with adequate heating facilities. Experiences of decades show that winter vacations give more relief and respite to students than the teachers who otherwise also attend training programs at the DIETs (District Institutes of Education & Trainings) of their concerned districts during peak winter months of December, January and February. Administrative wisdom demands that decision on winter vacations is taken more for the health safety of the students and less for completion of their syllabus and attendance of teachers during winter at Government schools.
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