Govt will restore November session from next year: Education Minister

Srinagar, Oct 22: The Minister for Education Sakina Itoo on Tuesday stated that the department will restore the November-December academic session from the next academic year.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, Itoo said that the decision to switch to the March session a few years ago has not been well received by the general masses and voices were growing louder to shift to the November session.

Earlier, the education minister had said that the decision will be put in public domain to seek feedback and further action would be taken accordingly.

“But given the public demand, I don’t think there is any need to put the matter in public domain for their feedback. I have already received the demand from so many people to restore the November session in schools,” she said.

The J&K government in 2022 shifted from November to March session saying that the move will ensure a uniform academic calendar which in turn will be synchronised to the national academic calendar.

The Education minister Sakina Itoo said the November academic session will be restored next year for all classes in one go. “We will not do it in a phased manner but will decide it for all the classes simultaneously,” she said.

However, the academics said that before switching back to the November session, the department needs to chalk about the strategy to formulate the process. “While switching from the November to March session in 2022, the government got extra months to hold the exams in March. But while restoring the November session, the on-going academic session will be curtailed during the process. The department should immediately constitute a committee to chalk out a plan for restoration of the November session,” a senior academic said, wishing not to be named.

He said the timely constitution of the committee can help the department to switch back to the November session without hiccups.

"The final decision to restore the November session will not be taken by the education department. The approval for this has to come from the government. The school education department should start its homework for it," he said.

Meanwhile, a top official told Greater Kashmir that the education minister while chairing her first review of the school education department issued directions to the department to come up with the plan for restoration of the November session in schools.

The official also said that the minister fixed a deadline for the department to address the lopsided Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) in schools.

“Lopsided PTR in schools is a grave issue, we are working on it as well,” Sakina Itoo said.

On the decline of enrollment in Degree Colleges and schools, the Education minister told Greater Kashmir that the downward trend witnessed in educational institutions was a major concern for the department.

“I have already taken a review of the School Education Department and the issue will be discussed in the review meeting with the Higher Education Department as well,” she said.