Srinagar, Oct 7: The J&K School Education Department (SED) Friday barred the private schools from going ahead with admissions for kindergarten classes.
The move comes days after private schools started registration of students for admission in kindergarten classes for the upcoming academic session.
The process was started despite a government order to adopt the Uniform Academic Calendar and shift exams to the March session.
The SED in its order said that the new admission for the upcoming academic session would be started in March.
“It is ordered that new admissions should commence from March,” reads the order issued by Principal Secretary SED, Alok Kumar.
As per the order, the SED has also accorded sanction to the implementation of the uniform academic calendar and conduct of examinations in the March-April session for classes up to the 9th standard in J&K.
“Sanction is hereby accorded to the implementation of Uniform Academic Calendar including the conduct of annual examinations in March-April session for classes up to 9th standard in all government and government-recognised private schools of J&K,” the government order reads.
The Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) had submitted a proposal to the government suggesting that the Term II exams of lower classes (primary to class 9th) should be held in March-April.
The exams of lower classes are conducted based on a continuous assessment under which the students have already appeared in Unit 1, Unit 2, Term I, and Unit 3 exams while the Term II exam is pending.
The J&K SED earlier ordered shifting the examination to the March session for class 10th to 12th students from the current academic session.
As per the government order, the annual 2022 examination for classes 10th to 12th would now be held in March-April 2023.
J&K Board of School Education (BOSE) has already notified the schedule for holding annual class 10th to 12th examinations in J&K and Ladakh.
As per the schedule, the annual regular examinations of classes 10th, 11th, and 12th would be held in March in both the divisions of J&K and Ladakh while the annual regular examination of hard zones of J&K and Ladakh would be held in April.
The result of the annual (regular) examination of Kashmir and Jammu divisions besides Ladakh including hard zones would be declared simultaneously in June.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, Director of School Education Kashmir Tasaduq Hussain Mir said all the new admissions including kindergarten classes have to be started in March 2023, which would form the commencement of the new academic year.
“The department is aware that some private schools have already started the registration of students for their kindergarten classes but they cannot do so during these months,” he said.
Mir said a meeting would be convened with the Joint Directors and Chief Education Officers (CEOs) to discuss the issue.
“If the private schools carry admissions for kindergarten classes this month then how will they accommodate these students in schools as they have not promoted the existing nursery class students to the next level,” he said.
With the change in the academic session, the parents have also expressed concern over the kindergarten admissions started by private schools.
“Technically, the session will start in March-April but the schools are going ahead with the admissions for kindergarten classes and will force parents to pay the school fees for November-February. Why should a parent pay extra fees for these months to schools,” a parent said.