KL Report
SRINAGAR
Jammu and Kashmir Private Schools United Front (JKPSUF) has demanded that government devise rules and regulations based on scientific principles for deciding dates and duration of winter vacations.
In a statement issued to KNS, G N Var, JKPSUF General Secretary of the Front has said that every year the announcement of winter vacations has become a big issue in Kashmir. “There is no logic in those dates except the benefits to some officers, whose wives and other relatives want to cherish the heat of Jammu,” said Var, in his statement issued to Kashmir News Service. “As soon as the Durbar Move migrates to Jammu, a vested lobby gets to work to get winter vacations announced quickly.”
The Front said that during last so many years we have seen that a slight snowfall triggered winter vacations. “But after some days the weather became sunny again and thus we lost many academic days,” said Var, as per the statement received by KNS. “Sometimes even our syllabus remains incomplete, so it is better government forms proper rules and regulations for announcing such vacations.”
The Front demanded that the government constitute an expert committee comprising of officials of government education department, private schools, weather department and a student parent body. According to the statement issued to KNS, Var has said; “This committee should be empowered to decide the winter vacations based on scientific and logistic principles and also keeping in mind education requirements.” “It should not be the decision made purely for the benefit of wives, daughter in laws and other relative of babus.”
The global warming has changed weather pattern of Kashmir and harsh winter of old days is a distant memory. “The good thing is that the Meteorological Department has month long weather forecast in hand, so why not utilize that,” said Var. “We can see which are the harshest days and accordingly decide holidays.”
The association said the government to take a look at other countries in Europe and America where similar or harsh weather conditions prevail, but they have minimal winter holidays. “Those countries term winter as the most unproductive season, so their principle is, the more we utilize it inside classrooms the better it is,” said Var, in his statement issued to KNS. “Otherwise during these vacations majority of students end up doing nothing in homes or simply continue attending classes at coaching centres.”
The association said that extended winter classes will also help build winter compliant infrastructure at schools.
