Demand for Oct-Nov school exams grows stronger

Srinagar, Oct 23: The clamour for the restoration of the October-November session in schools across Kashmir is growing even as the education minister has assured that the government would restore the session in schools across Kashmir from next year.

A day after the assurances from the Minister for Education, Sakina Itoo about the restoration of the October-November session in schools from next year, the academicians have also extended their support to the initiative saying that the March-April session was not in the interest of the students.

“In 2018, the then government made a proposal to shift the session from October-November to March-April but the expert committee constituted to come up with the suggestions did not favour the March session in Kashmir owing to the geographical conditions of the Valley,” a noted academician, who has served in Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education at top positions said, wishing not to be named.

“There are so many negative aspects which were highlighted by the expert committee in 2018 following which the proposal to shift the session was dropped,” he said.

The academicians attributed the major drawback of the March-April session in Kashmir to the prolonged winter season.

“We easily manage to hold exams in October-November or even early December. But Kashmir receives snowfall in March, which causes delay in completion of exams on time and the session gets curtailed,” the official said.

He said that the distribution of textbooks by the J&K Board of School Education (BOSE) during the March session was another hurdle in the smooth functioning of the session.

“While the session starts officially in April, we experienced in the last two years that textbooks were distributed late by the BOSE despite having ample time to complete the exercise. Schools were without textbooks till June and July,” the official said.

He said that once the session ends in October-November, the BOSE can distribute textbooks immediately after the reopening of schools after the winter vacation.

Another official said that while the government is scheduled to shift the session from next year, the department should start preparations to avoid any inconveniences to the students.

“While shifting from the October-November to March-April session, the department has an extra three months for preparations but for restoration of the October-November session, the preparation time for the department, during the initial stage will be curtailed,” the official said.

He said that the School Education Department (SED) should allow all the schools to conduct the Term-II exam of lower classes in November this year.

“This will pave the way for a smooth transition from March-April to October-November next year. The process for shifting the exam session of class 10th to 12th can be done later,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) also joined the chorus and extended support to the government for the restoration of the October-November school session saying that it was necessary to reverse a “patently retrograde decision.”

Senior PDP leader and former education minister Naeem Akhtar criticised the March-April academic session for causing significant academic losses.

“The October-November session had been implemented decades ago, keeping in mind Jammu and Kashmir’s unique climatic and topographical challenges,” he said.

Akhtar said that a committee headed by the then Governor Bhagwan Sahai had recommended the October-November academic calendar best suited to the region’s conditions.

“This change had proven immensely beneficial, ensuring students did not lose precious learning time due to harsh winters and other disruptions,” he said.

Akhtar welcomed the government’s move to restore the session saying that it will mark the first step towards meaningful educational reforms.

“The focus of future policies must remain on quality education, especially in government schools, which form the backbone of the public education system,” he said.

Akhtar called for sustained efforts to centre student welfare in all policies and urged the government to prioritise reforms that enhance academic standards in the region.