Schools are reopening in Kashmir, but not everyone’s happy: ‘Decision made from AC rooms’

Although parents welcomed the government’s decision to reopen schools, they were not as enthused by the timing.

“The government needs to rethink its decision,” said Zubair Ahmad, a parent of a boy and a girl. “It takes an hour and a half for my children to reach school in their bus. With this new schedule, they will have to leave home at 6 am. When will they get up, have breakfast and prepare?”

Parents said the summer holidays could just have been extended by a few days.

“This seems like a decision made sitting in air-conditioned rooms,” said Tabasum Rashid, the mother of a Class 5 student. “Private schools have minimal infrastructure, and government schools lack basic amenities. There are hardly any fans.”

Official figures indicate that 47 per cent of schools in J&K lack even drinking water facilities – in response to a question in the House, the government had said in March that 8,807 schools were without drinking water. Official government data from 2023 indicates that over 60 per cent of government schools in J&K are without electricity.

The decision to conduct online classes after students reach home also faced criticism. The government order mentioned that schools closing at 11:30 am would start online classes from 12:30 pm to 2 pm.

“When children leave school at 11:30, they will reach home by 12:30 and will have to start online classes,” explained a teacher from a private school in Srinagar.

“While most parents are out at work, how will children attend online classes? Does this mean we have to buy new devices for every student now?” asked Akhtar Hussain of Hazratbal. “And even if we manage, who will supervise how the children use these gadgets in the absence of their parents?”

Former Education Minister and PDP leader Naeem Akhtar also weighed in on the development, saying, “This government has pathetically failed in dealing with climate disorder and treated children as lab experiments. With today’s meteorological tools, it doesn’t involve any rocket science. Imagine a child from Zakura commuting to a school in Budgam and then having an online class.”