Editorial | Fix Classrooms, Not Clocks

Every year, as temperatures rise in the Kashmir Valley, the discussion reemerges: Should schools either start summer breaks earlier or adjust class schedules to escape the heat? In response to complaints from students and parents regarding the unbearable heat in classrooms, the government implemented changes to school hours and, in some instances, allowed for earlier vacations. While these measures may help with the immediate discomfort, they do not address the underlying issue. The underlying problem is that the infrastructure of government schools in Kashmir is in terrible condition, and merely changing school hours provides only a temporary fix to a much larger problem.

It is ironic that in a region with long and cold winters, it is summer that has come to reveal the weakness of our education system. Schools, particularly rural and poor ones, do not have the minimum infrastructure to operate in any season, not to mention the harsh heat waves climate change is increasingly frequent in bringing.

Some of the government schools in Kashmir still function out of buildings with tin roofs hovels that act like ovens in the heat of summer and freezers in the cold of winter. With minimal ventilation, no fans, little or no power backup, and poor classroom space, students are jammed into stifling rooms that are not meant for learning. Kids collapsing in assemblies, heat-induced nosebleeds, and shorter attention spans are not an occasional phenomenon; they are a regular phenomenon.

Numerous schools in Jammu and Kashmir operate without essential facilities such as drinking water, functional toilets, playgrounds, or boundary walls, according to official data. Additionally, a significant number of these institutions lack ceiling fans, air coolers, or roofs designed to withstand heat. In light of this situation, shifting school hours from 8 AM to 6 AM or announcing an earlier dismissal may quell public criticism, but it fails to tackle the underlying issue.

When powers that be switch school times to early morning schedules, they tend to ignore the increased burden placed on both students and educators. Kids must rise at unreasonably early times, sometimes in the morning darkness, and trek long distances to schools that are sometimes miles away. Public transport during this time is minimal. Security becomes an issue, particularly for girls. Educators are also compelled to run households and commute in darkness, all for a system that still does not give them an enabling environment to educate.

The decision to announce premature summer vacations is also problematic. Although it protects students from scorching heat, it also derails an already broken academic calendar. Following winter vacations, strike days, internet shutdown, and the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, educational standards among Kashmiri students have already taken a tremendous beating. Placing lengthy summer holidays in the mix means further losses in classroom time—time that Kashmiri students cannot afford to lose.

Instead of a posh white-knuckle ride on helicopter-arranged railway mayhem, the government needs to go in for a long-term, proactive policy of infrastructure development.

What Kashmir requires today is classroom reform, not calendar rearrangement. The government needs to undertake a time-bound program for infrastructure upgradation in government schools, especially in climate-sensitive areas.

Tin sheds should be transformed into insulated, weather-resistant structures. Classrooms need to be equipped with ceiling fans, cross-ventilation systems, and adequate lighting. In remote areas, solar panels can be employed to power fans and lighting systems. Collecting rainwater and creating shaded courtyards can help cool the buildings naturally and provide sustainable water sources.

Moreover, schools ought to have medical kits, accessible water points, and emergency protocols to address heat-related illnesses. The government must allocate funds to upgrade existing school buildings with materials and technologies that mitigate extreme temperatures, a practice already implemented in some parts of southern and western India.

Globally, climate-resilient school buildings are not a vision of the future anymore—it is business as usual. Kashmir has no excuse to be left behind. The right to education is not just the right to a classroom seat, but also the right to a working, secure, and enabling learning space.

The broader question at hand is why education consistently falls to the lowest rank in terms of budget and policy priorities. Teachers, parents, and students have repeatedly voiced their concerns regarding the unacceptable condition of school facilities. Their concerns should not be overlooked due to budget limitations. The same government which gives crores to beautification schemes and tourism publicity must realize that an investment in education is an investment in the future of the Valley.

Learning is not just a short-term experience; it lays the foundation for development. The environment in which children are educated is essential for nurturing their mental, emotional, and social well-being. When a classroom feels excessively hot, when the school has no access to drinkable water, and when a student collapses from heat-related illness, we convey that their future and health are not valued. This situation is unacceptable.

The Directorate of School Education and other authorities need to realize that notification regarding changes in timings is no replacement for administration. The need is for an overall school infrastructure assessment, followed by the development of district-wise action plans to overcome infrastructural gaps. Civil society, teachers’ unions, parent committees, and students themselves need to be involved in order to take their responsibility and be answerable for it.

In addition, the local entrepreneurs and private sector can be engaged through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs for co-funding by the government. NGOs engaged in environment and education can be consulted to implement sustainable building types and maintenance strategies.

If the government can pledge for road widening schemes, tunnels, and industrial estates, it most definitely can—and should—pledge for converting schools into institutions of dignity, security, and comfort.

Adjusting school hours during summer or declaring premature holidays could look like hasty solutions, but are cosmetic at best and counterproductive at worst. The actual remedy lies in resolving the root issue: poor and archaic school infrastructure that cannot keep up with the requirements of contemporary, climate-prone societies.

As heatwaves intensify and grow more frequent, this debate will only intensify. We can either just keep using band-aids or we can make the brave decision of treating the wound. The future of Kashmir’s children is worth nothing less than the latter.