J&K to implement uniform academic calendar in schools
Focusing on New Education Policy the Jammu and Kashmir government mulled to implement a uniform academic calendar in the schools across the Union Territory thus bringing the practice of summer and winter zones to an end.
Official sources in the Jammu and Kashmir Education Department said that the administration wants to implement the new education policy in totality for which deliberations are in progress and will soon be implemented on ground.
Notably, in Jammu and Kashmir the working of schools is divided into summer and winter zones depending upon the climatic conditions.
The plains of Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua, Reasi, Rajouri and Poonch fall in the summer zone whereas Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban belts of Jammu regions vis-à-vis the Kashmir division fall in the winter zone.
Annual examinations in the Summer Zone are held in March-April, while the examinations in the winter zone are conducted in the months of October to November.
“The Jammu and Kashmir Education Department is on a task to prepare a uniform academic calendar across the Union Territory, under which the education session will start simultaneously in both the regions and the examinations will be conducted in both the divisions of Jammu and Kashmir on the same schedule,” sources expressed.
The Jammu and Kashmir Education Board sources said that they have to play a key role in both the divisions as the practice of uniform academic calendar is in the pipeline for the conduct of the examinations and declaring the results together.
“To introduce a common academic calendar in both the divisions, the Education Department has also constituted a committee having Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Education Board as its head while Director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training, Director of the Directorate of Education Jammu and Kashmir, Academic Director of the Jammu and Kashmir Education Board, Chief Education Officers as its members,” sources revealed.
They said that the committee will submit its report after deliberation within eight days, on the basis of which a framework for issuing uniform academic calendar will be chalked out across Jammu and Kashmir.
“The decision was taken in a meeting held on April 7 with the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir and the committee is expected to submit its report by May 10,” said an official.
