Need to utilise winter vacations for students benefit
Mohammad Iqbal Khandy
Education can change lives, communities and nations even. Unlike the material ammunition that brings damage, education builds peace, growth and hope.
In every community, history reveals that people rise through the power of knowledge. So, we say education is power. The term ‘Education’ is defined by the educationists in different ways. Some say education as the transmission of knowledge and skills, some say it as the development of character and some as teaching or training of people.
What so ever the definition of education is, the purpose of education is focussed on the fact that education assures survival of the human race, maintains its intellectual and cultural tradition and helps in developing enlightened civilisation for human beings and economic development that history has witnessed and observed through ages. Unlike other creatures, humans are capable of getting education.
The 86th constitutional amendment making education a fundamental right was passed by Parliament in 2002. The Article 21-A provide the provision of free and compulsory education to the children.
Every constitution of the world advocates the quality education of the children. If we talk about the Sustainable Developmental Goals of UN, which are to be achieved by 2030, the 4th goal of SDG urges to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong opportunities for all.
The climate of Kashmir valley is different from the rest of the country. The valley experiences a cold weather in the months of December, January and February. In accordance with it the schools remain closed for three months. It means the schooling season is of nine months.
There remains a question mark on the education of primary class students. A few years before, government introduced winter tutorials and winter camps throughout the valley to curb the academic gap and maintain a continuous class work of the children.
Simultaneously, the government braced the order to prohibit the tuition and coaching centres run by the government teachers. This is a good move on the part of government. But what about those areas in the valley where there is no facility of private tuition and coaching centres.
Well the quota for the winter tutorials and camps was narrowed year by year and this year the chapter is being closed completed. The poor students in far flung areas now have the choices to go to district headquarters for private tuition or staying at home to get education from elder siblings or to wait for the opening of schools in March.
In the first choice they have to arrange the room, cook food and pay a huge amount for tuition. In the second choice although economical, the students have to compromise on their education. And in the third choice, the students move in the reverse gear and forget things day by day.
I am a teacher by profession living in a far flung area where all the choices fit like a key in a lock. One month of winter vacation has passed and here most of the children are wandering here and there. The educated youth in such areas are busy in one way or other. They can’t wait nine months to run tuition centres in the winter break. For instance, they work in a tuition centre for three months, what will they do for rest of the year. So, they prefer work over teaching in a coaching or tuition centre.
In Kashmir, there is a blanket ban on the tuition/ coaching centres run by government teachers. Then in rural areas, who is available there to teach the students. Parents and students are still waiting for the departmental decision of winter tutorials and winter camps.
The students are indigent in this matter. Many parents visited and requested me to teach their children. Some parents from other villages also called me about the winter tutorial/ camps. Yesterday I met three students of class 9th carrying bags. I asked them about where they had been and their reply was tuition centre. I asked where and they said the name of an 11th class student. I was confused and thought “was the student enough to teach all the subjects to class 9th or 10th?”
Time and tide waits for none. Time can’t wait for the students to find opportunities. The students are losing their precious time. Through this article, the parents humbly urge the concerned stakeholders to find the solutions of this issue and make necessary arrangements so that students in far flung areas, deprived of educational facilities, are not denied their Right to Education.
(The author is the ‘Best Teacher Awardee’ and hails from Vailoo Anantnag)
