Every summer, as the Kashmir Valley settles into its seasonal rhythm, schools fall silent, classrooms empty, and a collective sigh of relief echoes across the region. Summer vacation is welcomed with joy by students, teachers, and parents alike. Yet beneath the celebration lies a difficult but necessary question: Are these prolonged vacations a blessing—or a silent curse?

Across most of India, students benefit from 220 to 230 academic working days annually. In stark contrast, Kashmiri students receive only 170 to 180, and that's under ideal conditions. Add the three-and-a-half-month winter break and frequent disruptions from weather or unrest, and the result is a deeply fractured academic calendar. The outcome? A compromised education system struggling with quality and continuity.
As both an educator and a parent, I believe learning must be a consistent and continuous process—one that fosters discipline, resilience, and curiosity. But in Kashmir, long vacations often mean missed learning opportunities, idle routines, and social visits that do little to aid personal or academic growth.
Worse, these breaks come with serious risks. Just days into this summer vacation, several tragic incidents of children drowning while swimming unsupervised in rivers have been reported. These are not isolated accidents—they are symptoms of a deeper problem: a lack of structured engagement and safe recreational spaces for children during extended breaks.
We’ve normalized these long breaks, convincing ourselves they’re necessary. But are we preparing our children for the world they’ll face—a world defined by competition, disruption, and constant evolution?
While the region’s climate presents real challenges, it must not become a reason to shelter children from life’s demands. Education must continue, no matter the weather. Resilience is not built in comfort—it’s built in consistency.
Unless we rethink our approach, the educational divide between Kashmir and the rest of the world will only widen. Where other regions invest in year-round learning and innovation, we remain stuck in a loop of breaks and excuses.
Ask yourself: During these long vacations, how many students are engaged in structured learning or personal development? Are there reading programs, science camps, or community-based activities? Sadly, the answer is often no. Children are disconnected from learning and exposed to unnecessary risks.
It’s time to act. We must:
Revisit and rationalize the academic calendar.
Launch vacation learning programs and digital initiatives.
Promote reading, skill-building, and community learning during breaks.
Support parents and teachers in guiding at-home learning.
Encourage learning resilience, regardless of weather or unrest.
Provide safe, engaging spaces to prevent avoidable tragedies.
Let’s stop celebrating these vacations blindly. Let’s reflect, question, and rebuild. The future of our children demands urgency—not leisure.
Let Kashmir’s children rise—not just with the seasons, but with the strength, education, and support they truly deserve.