Kashmir is sweating through a summer that feels entirely unfamiliar. Day after day, the relentless heat has made life uncomfortable for everyone, but for school-going children, it has become downright unbearable. As the summer break winds down and schools prepare to reopen, thousands of anxious parents are holding their breath for a government decision. Their worry isn’t dramatic, it’s entirely justified. Think about the daily grind: many of these kids travel long distances to get to class, crammed into stifling buses or walking under a scorching sun. Once they arrive, they are stuck in classrooms that simply weren’t built with ACs or heavy-duty ventilation in mind. Spending hours in that kind of suffocating heat is a recipe for heat exhaustion and illness.
Education Minister Sakina Itoo recently noted that the government will review the latest weather forecasts before making a final call. This cautious approach is exactly what’s needed right now. When it comes to the health and safety of our kids, rushing into a decision is the last thing we should do. But this situation points to a much bigger, more unsettling reality: Kashmir’s climate is shifting. Summers are getting harsher, and our education system is lagging behind. We are trying to run schools designed for a cooler era in weather conditions they were never meant to handle.
Of course, education matters, and nobody wants to derail the academic calendar. Every missed day feels like a setback. But learning doesn’t happen in a vacuum. A child can’t absorb a math lesson or focus on reading when they are dripping with sweat and fighting off a headache. Forcing kids into oppressive classrooms serves no one. If the heatwave doesn’t break, the government shouldn’t hesitate to extend the vacation. If that’s not feasible, it’s time to get creative, adjusting school hours to the cooler early mornings, shortening classes, or finding other flexible workarounds. We have to balance education with basic human welfare.
At the end of the day, this isn’t just a debate about extra holidays; it’s about protecting our children. Lessons can always be caught up on, and books can be read later, but a child’s health isn’t something we can compromise on. As the government finalizes its plan, the hope is that empathy, common sense, and the well-being of every student in Jammu and Kashmir will come first.
