After the 15-day summer break, as the school reopened in Kashmir, students and parents have expressed concern about the government’s decision to start classes in the morning and apply a hybrid mode of education due to heatwave.
On Monday, the J&K government decided not to expand the summer holidays as Vedarman predicted a drop in temperature. However, the government directed that schools should open in urban areas at 7:30 am and in rural areas at 8 am. Additionally, schools were directed to transfer online classes in the afternoon.
Although parents welcomed the government’s decision to reopen schools, they were not as excited about time.
“The government needs to reconsider its decision,” said Zubair Ahmed, a boy and a girl’s parents. “My children take an hour to reach school in their bus. With this new program, they will have to leave the house at 6 am. When will they get up, break breakfast and prepare?”
Parents said that summer holidays could be extended for a few days.
Tabsum Rashid, mother of Class 5 student, said, “It looks like a decision sitting in an air -conditioned rooms.” “Private schools have a minimum infrastructure, and government schools lack basic facilities. There is hardly any fan.”
Official data indicates that J&K also has drinking water facilities in schools – in response to a question in the house, the government said in March that 8,807 schools were without drinking water. The official government data of 2023 indicates that more than 60 percent of government schools in J&K are without electricity.
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The decision to conduct online classes after students reached home also faced criticism. The government order mentioned that the schools to be closed at 11:30 pm will start online classes from 12:30 pm to 2 pm.
“When the children leave school at 11:30 pm, they will reach home by 12:30 pm and start online classes,” explained by a teacher from a private school in Srinagar.
“While most of the parents are at work, how will children participate in online classes? Does this mean that we will now have to buy new equipment for every student?” Asked Akhtar Hussain of Hazratbal. “And even if we manage, who will see how children use these gadgets in the absence of their parents?”
Former Education Minister and PDP leader Naeem Akhtar also weighed over development, saying, “This government has failed to deal with climate disorder and behave children as laboratory experiments. With today’s meteorological equipment, it has not included any rocket science. Imagine a child coming to a school in Budgam.”
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