“ The government’s decision to mandate online classes for 6th to 12th graders after morning school hours shows both administrative overreach and a disconnect from the realities faced by students, parents, and teachers.”
As schools across Kashmir reopen after a brief 15 day summer vacation, the government’s recent decision to enforce online classes for students from 6th to 12th grades immediately after morning physical school hours reflects not just administrative overreach but a disturbing disconnect from the ground realities faced by students, parents, and teachers alike. The Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department (SED) may have intended to balance learning with summer disruptions, but what it has achieved instead is a policy that borders on cruelty especially given the scorching heat, limited electricity supply in many areas, and the mental and physical toll on children. Let’s look at the facts. The new schedule dictates that students must attend school in-person during the early morning hours 7:30 am to 11:30 am in municipal areas, and 8:00 am to 12:00 pm in rural zones only to be pushed into mandatory online classes shortly after reaching home. This “blended learning mode,” as the government euphemistically calls it, starts barely an hour after physical school ends. Municipal students are expected to log in from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm, while rural students are expected to continue till 2:30 pm. One cannot help but ask: What learning is the government expecting after five hours of grueling school under summer stress, followed by rushed meals and screen-based instructions? What mental bandwidth are our children left with? This is not blended learning; it’s academic overloading. Worse, this move appears discriminatory and thoughtless in its exclusion of primary students (1st to 5th class), while expecting adolescents and teenagers to function like machines. Ironically, it is often the younger children who are most resilient to physical demands, while the older students are burdened with both academic expectations and the emotional turbulence of teenage years. The government’s stubbornness in not extending summer vacations even as parts of Kashmir reel under extreme temperatures reveals a pattern of ignoring student well. Why should schoolgoing children be forced into classrooms and onto screens during a time when even office-goers are complaining of heatstroke and exhaustion?
“To effectively safeguard learning, it is essential to prioritize the well-being of the learner. This involves protecting mental health, minimizing unnecessary stress, and recognizing that education extends beyond mere academics to encompass an environment conducive to children’s growth. Failure to address these aspects may exacerbate existing frustrations within Kashmir’s education system. The repercussions of an ill-conceived educational schedule could lead to increased student burnout, heightened parental dissatisfaction, and a decline in academic engagement, all of which may prove difficult to rectify”.
Moreover, the decision to use Android phones and digital platforms for compulsory afternoon classes brings back disturbing memories of the COVID-19 lockdown era. But this is 2025. The pandemic is over. And so should be the unnecessary reliance on gadgets that expose children to harmful screen time, affect eyesight, disrupt sleep patterns, and feed digital addiction. Let’s not forget, many rural households either do not have smartphones or have only one device shared among multiple children. The government seems to have overlooked these basic realities. If equity in education truly matters, then this system fails from the start. What’s more alarming is the authoritarian tone of the government order: “The instructions shall be followed in letter and spirit without any fail.” This leaves no room for contextual flexibility, no space for students or schools to voice their concerns, and no empathy toward exhausted teachers who are expected to double their efforts both offline and online. The government must urgently rethink this policy. It must have either extend the summer break for all classes including 1st to 5th or drop the requirement for online classes for 6th to 12th graders. If the goal is truly to safeguard learning, it must start with safeguarding the learner. That means protecting their mental health, reducing unnecessary stress, and understanding that education is not just about textbooks and timetables, but about creating an environment where children can thrive. If not, this ill-conceived schedule will only add to the already simmering frustration in Kashmir’s education ecosystem. And the consequences in terms of student burnout, parental anger, and academic disengagement will not be easy to reverse.
