New School Timing: JKCSF Chairman Terms Order As ‘Bizarre’, ‘Unnatural’
Srinagar 24 July :
Chairman of J&K Civil Society Forum (JKCSF) Abdul Qayoom Wani on Wednesday termed an order by the Directorate of School Education Kashmir, pertaining to the change in school timing, as “bizarre” and akin to the “punishment” to both students as well as teachers.
As per the news agency, Wani, While speaking to delegations of parents in his office at Gogji Bagh Srinagar, said that schools have been ordered to function from 8 in the morning in spite of the fact that various teachers posted in rural areas, especially the women, hail from cities and towns.
“It will be a herculean task for them to leave homes at 6 am and reach schools by 8 am. On the other hand, the schools will shut at 1 pm according to the new order despite the temperatures being very high at that very time of the day. There are students from rural belts, whose schools are located two to three kilometres away from their homes and have no transport facilities. Walking amid the scorching heat will prove disastrous to their health,” Wani said.
He added that another unnatural aspect of the order is that teachers have been asked to stay in schools one hour beyond the class work. “What are the teachers supposed to do during that time? The job of teachers to be at school is to teach. Detaining them for one hour everyday serves no purpose and is akin to the punishment to the teaching fraternity at large,” he said.
Wani urged upon the Principal Secretary Education to introduce online classes till the heatwave subsides in Kashmir. “We have seen such practice in vogue during the Covid times. If then, why can’t this practice be introduced now when even the grown up adults are finding it hard to bear this pervasive heat wave,” he said.
He appealed to the Chief Secretary Atul Dalloo and Principal Secretary Education Alok Kumar to personally look into this sensitive issue and reconsider the order in the larger interest of students and parents.
“The life and health of our students must be the priority for all of us,” Wani added.