Srinagar, Mar 3: All the government and recognised private schools are set to resume routine class work and other activities of the school children in the Kashmir division on Monday.
The schools would reopen for children after a gap of over three-month long winter vacations.
The schools up to class 8th were closed from November 28, 2023, while the classes from 9th to 12th standard were closed for winter vacations from December 11, 2023.
The schools were scheduled to reopen from March 1, 2024.
However, the resumption of class work in schools was delayed for two more days given the weather forecast of heavy rains and snowfall.
The teaching staff of all the educational institutions have already reported to their respective schools from February 21, 2024, to make arrangements regarding the preparation of the ensuing annual Board examination and giving a facelift to the schools.
While the schools are set to open across Kashmir, schools in snowbound areas are still inaccessible.
“We have already asked the teachers posted in such schools which are still inaccessible, to report to the concerned cluster heads or ZEOs. The decision about the students enrolled in such institutions will be taken accordingly,” Director School Education Kashmir Tasaduq Hussain Mir told Greater Kashmir.
The J&K Board of School Education (BOSE) has lined up annual examinations for class 10th to 12th students in soft zone areas.
The exam for class 12th would commence from March 6 followed by class 10th on March 11 and the examination for class 11th students would commence from March 30, 2024, in soft zone areas.
Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) has fixed the timings of schools falling within Srinagar municipal limits from 10 am to 3 pm while the timing for schools outside Srinagar municipal limits has been fixed from 10.30 am to 3.30 pm.
With the reopening of the schools on March 4, the traffic flow is expected to increase on the highways and inner link roads of Srinagar city and other districts.
A top official in the Traffic Police (City) said that they have already advised the representatives of the schools to manage the parking of the school buses within the campus.
“Compared to last year, the situation is much better this time as most of the works related to smart city projects have been completed in the city centre. The work is going on in the peripheries and it will not have much impact in the city centre. But we are still prepared to ensure a smooth flow of traffic,” the official said.
While all the schools were set to resume class work after the three-month-long winter vacations, some schools have decided to resume class work from March 9 and March 11, 2024.
“The school reopening date is postponed to Saturday (March 9, 2024) for all classes. The exams scheduled for March 6 and 7 will be rescheduled as well,” read a message sent by GD Goenka School Srinagar to the parents.
Green Valley Educational Institute (GVEI) and Kashmir Harvard School have also decided to reopen the school on March 9, 2024.
“Due to the current weather conditions, we are delaying the reopening of kindergarten classes (pre-nursery and senior KG). The class work for these grades will resume from March 9,” reads a message sent by Kashmir Harvard School to parents.
GD Goenka Anantnag School has also decided to reopen school from March 11, 2024.
Meanwhile, keeping in view the recent heavy snowfall, followed by an avalanche warning issued by JKDMA, the district administration of Kupwara has ordered that all the schools in the areas of Keran, Budnambal, Jumagund, Kumkadi, Machil, and upper reaches of Karnah subdivision would remain closed on March 4 and 5, 2024.
“The decision has been taken to ensure the safety of students and the teachers,” the order stated. (Greater Kashmir)
