Schools in Kashmir reopen after three-month long winter break, students gear up for annual examinations

Schools were closed for winter vacation in December last year and scheduled to open on March 1. However, the vacations were extended owing to the weather.

Schools in Kashmir sprung back to life on Monday after remaining closed for three months due to winter vacations.

Schools in Kashmir reopen after three months of winter vacation. (AFP file photo)

A bright sunny day made for a perfect setting for the students to return to classrooms after a gap of three bone-chilling winter months.

The schools that were closed for winter vacation in December last year were scheduled to open on March 1. However, the winter vacations were extended by three days due to rainfall in the plains and snowfall in higher reaches, officials said.

The schools in the valley are usually shut during this period as the temperatures in the valley fall below freezing point and vast stretches remain covered in snow.

The students, many of whom were feeling bored and confined in their homes for such a long time, were excited to be going back to school on Monday.

"I am excited that the schools are opening again. I am keen to meet my friends and teachers after so long," Mohammad Hanaan, a student at a private school in Srinagar, said.

Momina, a secondary school student, said while she was not confined to home during the winter vacation, going back to school had a charm of its own.

"I used to attend tuition classes during the winter break but somehow it does not have the same feeling as going to school. I missed my teachers and friends," she added.

The teachers now have a couple of days to assess the preparations of their students with annual examinations due to begin later this week.

"I am just hoping that all of them (students) have spent the winter vacation productively. The examinations are starting for all classes later this week," Manzoor Ahmad, a government school teacher, said.

Although schools in most of Kashmir opened on Monday, the educational institutions in snowbound areas of Kupwara district remained closed as authorities decided to extend the vacations by two more days.