BHAT HILAL
From day one itself March-April academic session remained a bit controversial among the public circles and among various stakeholders of education , ranging from students to academicians.However , Private Schools Association ( JKPSA ) led by G N Var and Coaching Centers Associations ( CCA ) seemed more antagonistic and particularly piched their voices against it.Parents Associations soon joined the party.Moreover , with the time , by and large teachers community too shaped an otherwise opinion and expressed serious reservations about the enforcement of March-April Session.Then we have hard earned NEP-2020 which is presently an important stakeholder of education wherein it’s real implementation should fit in either of the sessions.Apparently given the serious nature of reservations implementation of March-April session looked like a square peg in a round hole atleast in the valley.
Intrestingly both March-April and October-November sessions relatively share positives and negatives with almost equal proportions and doing away with March session at one go should not be so simple especially after an in-depth analysis of pros and cons.But keeping everything aside regional topography and geographic landscape has an edge over anything and it is the climatic conditions of the valley which dictate the terms.Going by March session is a Man vs Nature kind of a battle given the infrastructure and other facilities we are having at our disposal.Topographic features does not permit us to compare valley straightaway with other Indian states like Tamil Nadu , Maharashtra and Aandra Pradesh or for that matter with jammu province where they have long summer breaks quite differently from our long winter vacations.This is where feasibility of March- April session gets a reality check.Indeed we can not compare apples and oranges.
The prime advantage of Winter session is that after finishing their exams in Oct-Nov , 12 th class students will get enough time of almost 6 months for preparations before sitting in the Common University Entrance Test ( CUET ) and other Common Admission Tests of all India level.Besides all students from primary to higher secondary get maximum schooling of their academic session which should be a notable factor.March session on the other hand renders winter vacations useless and gives a very tough time to students waiting for their final exam hurdle.Not only so by joining the schools in March , students look cheerful and enthusiastic to attend their new classes after they have thoroughly gone through new text books and syllabus during winter breaks.Their faces reflect rays of spring and hope.Infact it shares an anology with the onset of spring season which rejuvenates both students and teachers.Going the other way arround breaks students schooling and study patterns.In a way winter session is Kashmir specific.
However , March session is student centric in the sence that it keeps the students from writing their examination in harsh winters which sends shock waves across them that too when we have no geniune heating systems in place inside the examination centers.That practice takes a heavy toll on students mental and physical health.They not only have to reach to their examination centers amid bitting cold by facing all odds but also have to write their exams quite uncomfortably with shivering hands when they are not even able to hold a pen in their hands.I think this is an important favour which March session is offering to the students.Contrary to that one could have seen students writting their exams quite comfortably and joyfully in March-April.Further , holding exams in winters is a herculean task for administration and teachers as well.March session is also important from administrative point of view interms of putting a successful curb on private tuition culture which distracts students and is partly responsible for affecting quality of academics atleast in government run institutions.In a way March session is not only economical but social friendly as well.
So the compare and contrast is intricately debatable.But it is the topographic features of the Kashmir Valley which supersede all the arguments.Rightfully government senced the pulse of the people so of the climate and toes the line of topography and rightly so because it is inevitably invincible.Nature has to win over the Mankind.Certainly winter session was not born out of nowhere.It would have come into force out of proper expertise , due consultations and inputs from then intellegentia coupled with an extensive evaluation of all the parameters , and climatic variables.In that context we ought to show certain amount of respect and follow the legacy of contemporary decision makers.Consequently government took an immediate call and not only reverted it back from the same year upto secondary classes but also assured it for higher secondary classes from the next year onwards given the complications of board exams.But while bringing it back into action , government must keep modalities of NEP-2020 in mind and devise a modus operandi to execute a proper plan of action.
Bhat Hilal Ahmad ( Biotech ) is a columnist and an educationist.He can be reached at fb @ Bhat Biotech Hilal.