With the introduction of the Uniform Academic Calendar, the students of Kashmir who will otherwise give their annual exams in October will now sit for the same in the month from March every year.

In elementary and secondary schools in India, the school year in some parts is April to March and in others June to May, while in universities, it is from July to May. There is a mid-year break during summer, usually from the end of May to the start of July, in universities and elementary and high schools. The vacations range from the beginning of April and last up to the beginning or middle of June.
Some parts split their summer vacation into two halves, with the first half being from mid-late March to early-mid April and the second half being about 6 weeks from May to June, with the academic year starting in April.
For Jammu and Kashmir, the school year usually begins in mid-October or the start of November. There are two vacations in a year; Winter holidays last from the start of December until the first of March. Summer vacation usually lasts two weeks, from mid-July to the end of July. The dates do vary. For schools, students move from the old to the new academic year immediately after the exams for the previous year are over, with a small week break for the compilation of results.
However, all this will be changed in Kashmir as the government has officially announced the Uniform Academic Calendar in Jammu and Kashmir. That means that exams from class 1st to Higher Education will be held in March.

When was decision taken?

The Jammu and Kashmir government earlier announced that they would implement a uniform academic calendar that will be synchronized with the national academic calendar.
The decision was unanimously agreed to in a meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, to review and discuss modalities for implementing the National Education Policy 2020 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Reason behind decision?

During the meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta, it was decided that the centralized admission test Common University Entrance Exam (CUET), would be mandatory for all admissions in J&K from the next academic session. The move experts said was at enabling students from J&K to compete with their counterparts from other regions of India.

Why was different academic calendar for Kashmir

Geopolitical conditions and weather conditions were one of the reasons why exams in Kashmir were conducted from October, unlike in the Jammu region, wherein exams would be held from March.

Hard Zone Schools

The education department notified as many as 444 schools in Jammu and Kashmir as hard zones, wherein the exams will be held in April instead of March. The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education announced the list last month, which will provide relief to thousands of students across Kashmir.

Under-Graduate Admission in other parts of Country

In Kashmir, hundreds of students would have to wait for months to secure Admission to different colleges every year as the academic calendar varied between Kashmir and the rest of the country.
With the implementation of the Uniform Academic Calendar, several students can sit in common entrance tests of various colleges across India, allowing them to achieve big in every field and get different exposure.

CBSE students will now get admission to JKBOSE schools without wasting year

One more benefit of having a Uniform Academic Calendar is that the Central Board of School Education (CBSE) students can get admission to the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) affiliated institutes without wasting one year of their career.
A student who would pass class 10th from a CBSE would have to wait for the next academic session to secure admission at JKBOSE schools reason being different academic calendar. Now the students do not have to wait for notification. They can pass the exam and get admission to JKBOSE-affiliated schools in the same year.

What have teachers to say?

As part of implementing the National Education Policy 2020, schools in Kashmir will have a Uniform Academic Calendar. This decision is going to enable students of J and k to compete with their counterparts across the country, said Misbah Khan, a private school teacher
“This decision is a good move for the students who often lost the opportunity to appear in major entrance exams such as NEET, and JEE Main which are scheduled between February and June,” she said.
Another teacher, Mushtaq Ahmad, said, “Another advantage of the Uniform Academic Calendar is that students will get extra time to complete and revise their syllabus.
Adding that, he said, “Due to the Covid 19 students mainly relied on online education, which to some extent created obscurity in their minds. It also made them sluggish and indifferent towards their studies. Now with this decision they can attend their classes till December and clear their concepts and doubts. It is a welcoming step for the younger generation of Jammu and Kashmir post abrogation of article 370 and Covid 19 pandemic”.

What do students have to say?

Despite being a part of India, one finds it hard to digest why our exams were being held in October and why not in March or April. It won’t impact your studies”, said Mehrab Bhat, a class 9th student.
“We are no different from the students who are in the other part of India. If they can crack IIT, NEET and civil services exams in the such academic calendar, so can we”, he said.
It is a welcoming step. The uniform academic calendar and the National Education Policy will mark a new phase in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in the valley, said Shaheen Shakeel, a second-year Commerce student.