Burnout Before The Bell

Meant to protect students from rising heat, Kashmir’s new school timings are leaving them sleep-deprived, sunburned, and emotionally frayed.

- Iffat Aurooj

At 4:30 a.m., alarms go off in homes across Kashmir. Mothers slip out of bed with half-shut eyes. Small children are shaken awake. Lights flicker on in kitchens. Uniforms are ironed in silence. Breakfast is swallowed without appetite. And by 6:30 a.m., sleepy feet shuffle into schools, their shadows still longer than their legs.

This is the new normal in Kashmir, where education authorities have changed school timings to start before dawn. The idea, we're told, is simple: start early to escape the day’s scorching heat.

But the reality on the ground is far from simple. It’s disorienting, disruptive, and deeply unfair.

In the valley I was raised in, summer used to be a season of breeze. Tourists came here to escape heat. But today, Kashmir is on the front lines of climate change. Temperatures soar past 34°C in early July. Snow melts faster. Streams run drier. Life is warmer, yes, but now it's also harder, especially for families.

This year’s early school shift might seem like a practical response. But it’s asking children to adapt in ways they cannot and should not be expected to.

A six-year-old should not be out the door before the sun. A ten-year-old should not return home dizzy and dehydrated. And mothers, especially working ones, should not be breaking down before breakfast.