Back to November session

Srinagar, Oct 30: The National Conference (NC)-led government Wednesday announced the restoration of the November session for schools up to class 9th from the current academic session.

The formal announcement was made by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

The announcement was welcomed by the stakeholders as well.

The November session was restored two years after the Lieutenant Governor (LG)-led administration shifted the session to March to have a ‘uniform academic policy’.

As per the new announcement, the students up to class 9th will appear in the exam as per the November session while the students from class 10th to 12th will switch to the November session from next academic year.

While making the announcement, CM Omar said that for a long time, especially from the winter zones of Kashmir and Jammu, parents and children had been asking for a change in the school exam schedule and were demanding that the old system be reinstated.

“Today, I am thankful to my School Education Minister, Sakina Itoo who brought a proposal to the cabinet and the cabinet approved it,” the CM said.

He said that the exam schedule for the students up to class 9th will now be reverted to the old scheme and the winter zone exams will be conducted before the winter vacations are announced for the schools.

“We were not able to conduct the 10th, 11th, and 12th class exams this year because they are board exams and we will have to prepare for these exams. But we assure all the children that from next year, they will be able to appear in their board exams before the winter vacations,” the CM said.

He said that the new decision will provide comfort to the children, especially their parents.

“For this, I thank Sakina Itoo and the cabinet,” he said.

An official said that the formal order in this regard will be issued in the coming days as well.

Meanwhile, the announcement has been welcomed by the stakeholders who said that the change in the academic session from November to March was causing significant harm to students.

“The formal announcement made by the CM demonstrates the government’s commitment to addressing issues based on public demand,” President Private School Association J&K (PSAJK) Ghulam Nabi Var said.

He said that the government should investigate those responsible for the previous order, particularly those who acted without logic, evidence, or consulting the stakeholders.

The teachers and the students also welcomed the government's decision to restore the November exam session in schools.

“Going back to the November session is a welcome step. Diversity of different cultures and regions can accommodate diversity even in academic sessions. Our weather conditions are favourable for the October-November session. So let it be as it used to be. Education must be apolitical. Society and state need to own this sector and try to contribute to its reformation,” Mehraj Sufi, a teacher from Baramulla, said.

He said the education sector needs to be prioritised and academicians and educationists need to be taken on board to bring some positive change in this field.