HED asks universities, autonomous colleges to align exams with academic calendar

Srinagar Dec 11: The Higher Education Department (HED), on Wednesday asked the J&K Universities to align the examination as per the Academic Calendar.

The move comes after the HED notified its Academic Calendar for all academic activities and examinations across the J&K UT.

As per the academic calendar, the HED has notified that the Summer vacation for Colleges in Kashmir and Winter Zones will be announced from July 15 to 24 while the winter vacations will be announced from December 27 to February 14.

For Jammu division and summer zone college, the HED as per the academic calendar has notified that the Summer vacation will announced from June 1 to July 15 while the summer vacations will be announced from January 1 to January 10.

The academic calendar further states that the odd semester term end examination in Kashmir and Winter zone colleges besides Jammu and Summer zone colleges will be held from December 1 to December 31.

“The even semester term end exams will be held from June 15 to July 14 in Kashmir and Winter zone colleges besides Jammu and Summer zone colleges,” it reads.

The HED has further stated that it has observed that examinations are sometimes scheduled during the vacation period by the universities.

“This practice not only disrupts the planned break for students and faculty but also leads to logistical challenges for the colleges,” the official notification reads.

The notification has been addressed to the Dean Academic Affairs University of Kashmir, University of Jammu besides Cluster University Srinagar and Jammu as well. The letter has been also sent to the principals of the autonomous degree colleges as well.

“The extreme climate conditions during peak winter and summer months, when the winter zone experiences severe cold waves and dense fog and the summer zones experience scorching heatwaves, making it difficult for students and faculty to commute and to carryout any academic activity during the period,” it reads.

The HED has asked the Deans of the Universities that considering these challenges, they should ensure that no examinations are scheduled during the vacation periods.

“This will help maintain the integrity of the academic calendar, ensuring that students and faculty can enjoy their well deserved breaks without disruption. Additionally it will mitigate the difficulties posed by the severe climatic conditions, ensuring a smoother, more comfortable academic experience for all involved,” the official document reads.