SRINAGAR, SEPT 20: Mirwaiz Mohammad Umar Farooq has backed the proposal for a five-day working week in schools across Jammu and Kashmir, arguing that students need adequate time for family, recreation and community engagement beyond their academic routine.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Seerat programme at Jamia Masjid, Srinagar, Mirwaiz said he supported the proposal “100 per cent” and favoured Saturday and Sunday as weekly holidays for students.
“If students will get Saturday and Sunday off, they will be better prepared for schools on Monday. So, I think it is a good decision and the government must go ahead,” he said.
His remarks come against the backdrop of Pampore MLA Hasnain Masoodi’s proposal seeking a five-day working week for schools. Masoodi has maintained that despite his resolution not figuring in the selected list for the upcoming Assembly session, he would continue to raise the issue in the House.
Masoodi had earlier discussed the matter with Education Minister Sakina Itoo at a programme at DIET Pampore. The Minister had said the proposal would be examined by the concerned education authorities, including the Directorates of School Education Kashmir and Jammu (DSEK/DSEJ) and the Director of Colleges.
Mirwaiz said education should not be confined to syllabus completion, stressing the importance of a child’s overall development.
“Our focus should not only be on education, that we have to complete the syllabus. The overall focus of the children should be that they get time at home, they get time with their family, they get time to play, they get time to go to their community,” he said.
He also noted that students often have to cope with schoolwork, tuition and additional classes, saying a two-day weekend could allow them to return to school with a “fresh mind”.
Citing the practice of two-day weekends in several countries, Mirwaiz urged the J&K Government to consider the proposal and take a decision that provides students with greater time for rest, family and activities outside the classroom.
