Winter's Unwanted Report Card

Three months of closed schools, rising tuition and slipping mental health have pushed families to the edge. Community study circles and voice note lessons are trying to turn a hard season into a small win for resilience.

- Mohammad Hanief

Every year, as Chinar leaves turn gold and drift to the ground, Kashmir braces for months of cold and stillness.

Winter does not arrive gently. It presses down with snow, frost, and long nights. Roads vanish under ice, rooftops sag with snow, and life slows to the pace the weather dictates.

For children, however, the world does not stop. Education continues, sometimes in unusual ways, often in difficult conditions.

Winter vacations in Kashmir stretch for weeks. Schools close to protect students from freezing classrooms, slippery roads, and unreliable transport. These breaks are necessary, but they disrupt learning.

Young children can lose touch with lessons, struggling to regain focus when classes resume. Students in remote villages face even greater challenges, with few opportunities for tutoring or enrichment.

The gap between city and countryside widens each winter.

Snow can block roads for days, isolating entire neighbourhoods. In mountainous areas like Gurez, Karnah, and parts of South Kashmir, reaching school in deep winter can be impossible. Even in Srinagar, icy streets and subzero temperatures make daily travel unsafe.

Inside homes, families use bukharis and kangris to stay warm, but heating and lighting remain inconsistent. Electricity often fails during storms. Children sit in dim rooms, bundled in sweaters, trying to study as the wind howls outside. Under such conditions, learning is a struggle.

Digital tools offer some relief. WhatsApp groups, recorded lessons, and online worksheets have become part of winter routines in many schools. Teachers share videos and assignments to keep children academically connected.