Obsolete ‘winter work’ in Kashmir schools: Parents urge CM Omar and Sakina Itoo ji for policy changes

13 December 2024

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By: Samia Qureshi and Imtiyaz Shah (Ziraat Times)

Srinagar: As winter vacations begin in Kashmir, parents and educators today find themselves grappling with an age-old, but obsolete, practice: the ritual of “winter work.” What was once perceived as a way to keep children engaged during the long winter break has now become a symbol of everything that is wrong with Kashmir’s education system.

The practice of assigning repetitive and monotonous homework —essentially copying material from textbooks into notebooks — parents and modern educationists believe, needs to be discarded so as to enable children’s grow and learn meaningfully.

Across Kashmir, voices of concerned parents are growing louder. They question the utility of these assignments, urging schools to shift from rote learning to creative, skill-building activities that align with the demands of the 21st century. Their call for change – from school parent WhatsApp groups to social media – is growing.

While recognising that some progressive schools have introduced new, creative activities, parents and educationists who spoke to Ziraat Times have called upon Education Minister Sakina Itoo ji, the Education Department of Kashmir, private schools and also the Private Schools Association of J&K to address this pressing issue, urging them to introduce guidelines that prohibit repetitive and purposeless assignments in all schools.

Lamenting how winter work burdens children with pointless tasks, Amir Suhail Wani, echoes this sentiment, “Don’t burden kids with useless ‘winter work’ (Wand’e Kaem in our times). Give them creative assignments and assign them to learn life skills, languages, mathematics, poetry, and science. Winter vacations provide such an opportunity to introduce children to new skills and areas of learning. Unfortunately, most of it is wasted in filling pages after pages without reason or rhyme.”

Ruheed Gul, a well known educator, who has been leading several innovative educational initiatives in South Kashmir, raises a powerful point: “Can we give our students of elementary classes creative assignments full of life skills, art and crafts, play and leisure, communication, environmental studies, social skills, and science projects full of awe and wonder in place of routine winter work? There are long 8-9 months starting from March for studying their syllabus. Let us build in them 21st-century skills and take them away from rote learning and copy-pasting exercises.”

Nusrat Habib, another concerned parent, critiques the lack of purpose in these assignments. “Assignments are good for nothing. It is all copy-paste, and the majority of kids do it in the last 10 days. Better to focus on creativity, skills, and reading.”

Pointing to systemic issues, Anjum Hussain takes a broader view, “There’s more to the issue than meets the eye. The problem doesn’t begin with teachers or schools asking students to fill pages during winters; rather, the entire education system is to be blamed. ‘Covering syllabus’ has been a big issue, measuring the calibre of educators and students alike. This is where the assignment of winter work bordering on covering a quarter of the syllabus comes into effect. Our education system needs an overhaul.”

Mudasir Ahmed and Nazir Malik also emphasize the need for systemic changes, advocating for policies that encourage teaching 21st-century skills to prepare students for a fast-paced, technology-driven world.

Senior educators, with experience and deep insights into modern education, share this view. “The traditional concept of winter work is a relic of an outdated education system that prioritizes rote learning over critical thinking and creativity. This needs to change if we want out children to remain in the race”, says Janki Nath Koul.

Echoes Manjeet Kour, “Winter vacations provide a unique opportunity for students to step away from the rigidity of classroom learning and engage in activities that foster creativity, critical thinking, and practical skills. In an era where 21st-century skills like problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and digital literacy are paramount, schools need to rethink their approach to winter assignments.”

“A time has come when we need to do things differently – we need to assign students art and craft projects, learning basic cooking, sewing, or first aid, which are crucial for personal development, engaging in activities like bird watching, recycling projects, or studying local flora and fauna”, said Shazia Iqbal, an educationist, adding, “Encouraging children to read books beyond their curriculum would be great”.

“It is true m, we need to change our approach on winter work. I believe we should now utilize digital resources, promote multi language skills and engage local experts and professionals to conduct workshops, promoting vocational skills and cultural preservation in schools”, said Baseema Aijaz, head of Welkin Educational Institute, Sopore, which has pioneered several innovative educational initiatives for its students.

Parents have also called to equip teachers with the skills and resources to design innovative assignments that engage students in meaningful ways.

“Public and private schools must encourage parents to participate in their children’s learning by providing them with guidelines and resources for creative projects. It is a must”, says Nazir Ahmed Malik, a teacher, calling upon the authorities to leverage the formative assessment system introduced under the National Education Policy to design assignments that focus on holistic development rather than rote learning.