Rayees Masroor
Schooling is a tough journey and often filled with pressures,expectations and sacrifices. Studying is a difficult task for the students, especially those studying in their Primary or middle classes. It can be challenging to sit still,concentrate,and focus on the journey.Learning is a complex task that requires a variety of cognitive and emotional skills.Many students at different levels find it difficult to study. They may not be motivated or see the worth in what they are learning, or generally students feel overwhelmed by the amount of work they have to do.At Primary or Upper primary stages,young children have shorter attention spans and may find it difficult to focus for extended periods of time. There are also memory retention issues especially among little children.
To address most of the challenges faced by the students, they need breaks in studies to reduce stress, improve concentration, and boost their overall well-being. Break in studies ensures mental and physical rejuvenation, leading to better academic performance and cordial learning environment.Continous schooling often leads to mental fatigue and burnout. It is a scientifically proven fact that human brains cannot maintain focus for extended periods. A break in studies not only enhances productivity but it provides opportunities for relaxation and increased motivation. When a student studying in a school gets a break from a tough journey, he interacts with people around fostering social skills and sense of community. Breaks or vacations are not just time off they boost learning process and physical well-being of students.
Vacations or breaks in schooling with an objective of rest,rejuvenation,personal enrichment,learning improvements and leisure time are offered worldwide.There are however variations of these school holidays in length and the timing. Depending upon the climatic conditions, many countries offer both summer and winter vacations. Some countries and regions have shorter and more frequent breaks throughout the academic year instead of one long summer break.
Kashmir does have a diverse climate, ranging from cool and pleasant springs and autumns,now hot summers, and very cold winters. The Valley’s climate used to be generally moderate, but weather has turned unpredictable for the past few years, with significant variations in the intensity of heat and cold. July is arguably the hottest month, while as December and January are the coldest. The mercury has been on the rise during the months of June and July for the last few years and new records are being made with intense hot and humid conditions prevailing in the valley.This year amidst an unprecedented heat wave the ongoing month of July has already seen 39 degree temperature and no rainfall. It has been observed that the global phenomenon of climate change has not only heated up the summers in Kashmir but the winters have also turned harsh.
In Kashmir, the timing and duration of both the winter and summer vacations for schools have been a recurring topic of debate, with stakeholders often expressing diverse opinions on the optimal schedule. There is a buzz not only in the mainstream media but also on social media regarding the duration of winter vacations and whether they should be uniform across all classes or differentiated based on the grades.
Similarly, the topic of discussion for summer vacations is the commencement date and the duration.Interestingly,this time around the education minister of the J&K government has to get involved to settle the issue and make the all-important announcements regarding the issue.
The changing climatic conditions in the valley, including prolonged heatwaves and changes in snowfall pattern, have necessaited the need for a more logical, flexible and climate adaptive approach to vacations. The current situation and the harsh weather conditions demand a review of the existing vacation policy to ensure the well-being of students without compromising the school instructional days.Kashmir division urgently needs a meticulously planned and standardized calendar for winter and summer break with pre decided dates keeping in view the changing weather patterns. This would help to avoid the recurring confusion, unnessary social media debates, and last minute announcements that eventually disturb the planning. A well thought out, advance vacation schedule would help students, teachers, and parents to manage academic work, travel, and personal time more efficiently. It would not be a bad idea to have a three to four week summer vacation in addition to the existing winter break, which itself could be shortened by a week if needed and keeping in view the number of instructional days.
Predictability and planning should be an integral part of our education system. By implementing a comprehensive policy that considers the current climatic conditions and incorporates climate resilience measures, the education system in Kashmir can better protect the health and well-being of the children while ensuring a smooth learning process.
Rayees Masroor is an independent columnist,counselor and academician based in north Kashmir.He writes extensively on Educational,Social and Youth related issues.He can be reached at rayeesmasroor111@gmail.com)
