Too Hot to Learn

A brutal heatwave closes schools across the Valley. But if this is our climate plan, we're failing our children.

- Peerzada Aarif

It’s mid-May in Kashmir, and Srinagar is already sizzling past 33°C. That’s not normal. This time of year used to be pleasant. Fans weren’t even needed. But lately, it feels like summer has crashed in too early and too hard. It’s not just a bad week. It’s part of something bigger: a climate that’s shifting faster than we're ready for.

To cope with the heat, the administration has changed school timings. Some parents want early summer holidays. The government has issued guidelines. But here’s the thing — how long can this go on? If the heat doesn’t let up, what happens in June? Or July? Do we just keep the schools shut?

This isn’t the first time weather has disrupted the academic calendar. Earlier this year, a long stretch of snowfall pushed winter vacations deeper into February. Before that, schools closed during civil unrest. Sometimes it’s cross-border tensions. Every year, there’s something. Add all these up, and the learning year starts looking like a patchwork of stop-start routines.