SRINAGAR: The University of Kashmir has announced the winter vacation schedule for its main and allied campuses, effective from January 1, 2025, to February 23, 2025. However, this break does not apply to the students of the 3rd (Batch 2023) and 5th (Batch 2022) semesters of the Bachelor’s degree programme, who are set to sit for their semester-end examinations. The third semester exams are scheduled to begin on December 24, 2024, while the fifth semester exams will commence on December 27, 2024.
This has sparked concerns among the student body, particularly given the extreme winter conditions in Kashmir. With temperatures regularly dipping below freezing, many students have raised alarms about the lack of adequate heating arrangements in the examination centres. Most of the colleges where exams are set to take place do not have centralised heating systems, and the limited number of heating devices available are insufficient to provide comfort in large examination halls.
Students have expressed their distress, stating that the severe cold makes it extremely difficult to concentrate and write descriptive answers during the exams. Numerous students have reached out to the university authorities and the media, urging for a deferment of the exams until the weather conditions improve. Many students have described the ordeal of writing their internal assessments under freezing temperatures, struggling with numb hands and a lack of proper heating to focus on their work.
Given the ongoing concerns about the welfare and performance of students in such harsh conditions, there is growing pressure on the University of Kashmir to reconsider its decision and either delay the examinations or provide better facilities to accommodate students during the cold weather.
