SRINAGAR, Oct 30: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, today announced that annual exams in Kashmir for classes up to 9th will be held in November-December, well before the winter vacation.
Speaking to the media during an event here, the Chief Minister stated that this change addresses a long-standing demand from parents and students, offering relief to all stakeholders.
“The exam schedule will return to the old scheme for classes up to 9th, with exams held before winter vacations this year,” he said.
For classes 10th, 11th and 12th, however, students will follow the current schedule, and a decision on these classes will be made next year.
“For these classes, we must ensure readiness as it involves board exams,” he added, assuring that the examination schedule would revert to the old scheme next year.
Omar noted that there had been repeated requests from winter zone parents and students for a return to the previous exam schedule.
He thanked Minister for Education Sakina Itoo for bringing the proposal for the exam schedule change to the cabinet, which, he said, approved it promptly. Itoo thanked the Chief Minister for the prompt decision.
She told Excelsior that the academic session back to November-December from this year has been changed for non-board classes up to class 9th, for Kashmir province and winter zones of Jammu province. “For higher classes, the session will be restored next year. The board exams will be held in Feb-March and classes for the next session for 11th and 12th will start from March 15,” she added.
In 2022, the administration announced a uniform academic calendar in sync with the rest of the country. However, this decision did not sit well with students and parents, who have since called for a reversal.
The decision has received appreciation from the public. Dar Shakeel, a parent, told Excelsior that it was necessary due to climatic conditions of the region. “It has always been a through out decision to hold exams in Oct-Nov due to climatic conditions of the region. Changing it to March was a unilateral decision without taking into consideration the views of the stakeholders,” he said.
Stakeholders argued that the uniform calendar was impractical, with weather being a major factor. Under the previous schedule, students had a three-month winter break up to February, allowing a smoother start to the new academic session and more time to prepare. They contended that otherwise, these three months would be lost, providing no benefit to students.
Additionally, students faced confusion and hardship due to the division of hard and soft zones, which caused uncertainty in March if it snowed.
Another parent noted that the decision will help students proceed in a structured manner and reduce stress.
“We appreciate the steps taken by our Chief Minister and his Cabinet to strengthen the bridge neglected under Central rule for the past six years. This initiative will enable students to pursue their academics in a structured manner, helping to reduce stress and improve time management,” wrote Musaib Ahmad on ‘X.’