No Exams During Vacations: J&K’s Higher Education Dept Issues Fresh Directive
By: Javid Amin | 05 December 2025
On December 5, 2025, the Jammu and Kashmir Higher Education Department (HED) issued a fresh, stern directive to all universities and autonomous colleges across the Union Territory, ordering that no examinations — whether regular term-end, supplementary, backlog or special — be conducted during officially notified vacation periods.
The communiqué, signed by Dr. Sheikh Ajaz Bashir (Director Colleges, J&K HED), reminds institutions that they must strictly follow the Uniform Academic Calendar, which was notified in May 2022, and has been in effect since the academic session 2022–23.
The directive covers all higher-education institutions in the UT: including University of Kashmir, University of Jammu, the two cluster universities (Cluster University Srinagar and Cluster University Jammu), other affiliated colleges and autonomous degree colleges.
The HED’s communiqué warns that any violation — scheduling exams during vacations — undermines the purpose of the breaks and hurts the well-being of students and staff. Institutions have been urged to comply fully and ensure exam-related activities strictly adhere to the approved academic calendar.
The “Why” Behind the Order: Weather, Welfare and Academic Enrichment
Harsh winters, extreme summers — and the need for rest
Jammu and Kashmir is a region of stark climatic contrast. Winters — especially in the Kashmir Valley — can be brutal. Over decades, the break known as Chillai Kalan — the 40-day harshest phase of winter, running roughly from December 21 to January 30 — has been a defining period when temperatures drop several degrees below freezing, water-bodies freeze, and mobility becomes dangerously difficult.
Given such severe conditions, the HED reasons that vacation periods are essential for both students and staff — not just as a break, but as a needed reprieve from the rigours of daily commutes, cold, fog, and weather-induced health hazards. Conducting exams in such conditions would impose avoidable stress and hardship.
Similarly, summers in parts of J&K are no less harsh, with extreme heat in some zones. The vacation windows, therefore, act as a buffer, offering relief from climatic extremes, and making academic cycles more humane.
Purpose of vacations: more than just holidays
The HED emphasises that vacations are not just for rest — they are valuable windows for academic enrichment beyond regular classroom teaching. The directive highlights that vacation periods are intended to be used for internships, industrial visits, practical exposure, skill-building workshops, and other such enrichment activities.
Holding exams during vacations defeats this purpose: it denies students the chance to engage in internships or fieldwork, puts undue stress, and undermines the opportunity for holistic learning beyond theory.
Ensuring fairness, avoiding undue pressure
Beyond climatic comfort and enrichment opportunities, the directive also touches upon fairness and mental wellbeing. Exams scheduled in harsh weather or during vacation breaks can be disproportionately difficult for students — commuting may be a challenge, heating or transport may get disrupted, and stress levels increase. The order underscores that vacation breaks should offer “essential relief” for both students and faculty.
Uniform Academic Calendar: Background, Implementation, and Relevance
What is the Uniform Academic Calendar?
The Uniform Academic Calendar (UAC) for J&K was introduced as an attempt to streamline academic scheduling across universities and colleges in the Union Territory. It came into force from the academic session 2022–23.
The idea was to synchronise academic cycles across institutions in Jammu and Kashmir — taking into consideration the differing climatic zones (winter zone, summer zone) — so that all colleges and universities follow a common timetable for semesters, vacations, examinations, and academic events.
The UAC document was formally circulated to all vice chancellors, principals, and heads of institutions, as per the HED communication dated 12 May 2022.
What it envisages beyond just holidays
The Calendar is not just about matching start and end dates. It is part of a broader reform agenda aligned with National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), aiming to improve quality of teaching/learning in J&K’s higher-education institutions.
Key features included: mandatory display of the academic calendar on the college/university website; capacity-building programs for faculty and support staff; structured student feedback mechanisms (twice every 45 days per semester), and encouragement of collaborations and MoUs with institutions in other states to boost academic growth and skill enhancement.
Thus, the UAC is more than a timetable: it is part of a vision for holistic and modernised higher education in J&K.
Why a renewed directive was needed in 2025
Despite the 2022 adoption of UAC, reports had emerged that some institutions — especially under cluster universities and autonomous colleges — were still scheduling exams during vacation periods, particularly around winter breaks.
This not only violated the spirit of the calendar, but also attracted student complaints. For example, some students under Cluster University Srinagar claimed to have exam date-sheets that fell squarely within the vacation period — including UG 1st semester (Batch 2025) having multiple papers after December 27.
In response to such lapses and student grievances, the HED felt compelled to issue the fresh, unambiguous directive on December 5, 2025.
Reaction on Ground: Students, Institutions and the Challenges
Student concerns: alleged calendar violations
According to a report, several students from affiliated colleges under Cluster University Srinagar have alleged that exams were still scheduled during the winter break — directly breaching the UAC norms.
One student was quoted: “Our exams are set right in the middle of vacations. Most of our papers are after December 27.” The complaint highlighted backlog exams (UG 5th Semester) as well as regular semester papers (UG 1st Semester, UG 7th Semester).
Such scheduling not only puts students under stress during what is supposed to be a break, but also defeats the entire purpose of the UAC’s balanced academic-holiday rhythm. It reportedly affected their ability to rest, travel home, or take advantage of internship/industrial-visit windows.
Institutional constraints and pressures
From the colleges’ side — especially in areas of backlog exams, delayed syllabi, or shortage of time — there may have been pressure to clear pending exams, complete semesters, and avoid academic backlog. Sometimes, these pressures lead institutions to circumvent the vacation rules.
However, the HED’s renewed order seeks to close such backdoor loopholes. The note warns that any exam scheduling during vacations is not acceptable, regardless of the reason.
The way forward: compliance, cooperation, and accountability
The directive calls for full cooperation from all institutions. The HED expects deans, principals, registrars — all administrative heads — to ensure adherence. The message is clear: exam planning must be done keeping in mind the UAC calendar, and vacations must remain inviolate.
Institutions are also expected to update their websites with the academic calendar, as mandated earlier, to ensure transparency for students and staff.
Meanwhile, students and faculty who notice deviations reportedly have the right to raise concerns with the HED — thereby reinforcing accountability.
Why This Directive Matters — For Students, Faculty and the Academic Ecosystem
1. Protecting Student Welfare
By banning exams during vacations, the directive safeguards students from having to appear for exams in harsh climatic conditions or while trying to travel home. This reduces stress and physical hardship — particularly important in a region like J&K where winters can be extreme.
For many students from remote areas, winter commute — often via valley roads, mountains, or in foggy/icy conditions — can be dangerous. Having exams in such periods would force them to choose between personal safety and academic pressure.
2. Ensuring Fairness and Equity
A uniform calendar ensures all institutions follow the same schedule. This levels the playing field for students across different universities and colleges (urban, rural, cluster, autonomous, etc.).
It prevents ad-hoc “special/supplementary/backlog” exams being scheduled during breaks, which could unfairly burden some students — especially those needing to travel, or those balancing internships or work.
3. Encouraging Holistic Education & Skill-building
Vacations are not just about rest. As the HED notes, they provide a window for internships, industrial visits, workshops, capacity-building, and extracurricular enrichment. By protecting vacation periods, the directive fosters a more holistic approach to higher education beyond mere exams.
This aligns with the broader vision underpinning the Uniform Academic Calendar and the reforms associated with the National Education Policy (NEP 2020).
4. Institutional Discipline & Predictability
For universities, colleges, and administrative bodies, scheduling around a fixed academic calendar reduces chaos. It brings predictability to semester planning, faculty assignments, holiday schedules, and logistic arrangements.
It also simplifies academic administration — syllabus planning, exam scheduling, backlog handling — thereby helping colleges manage resources better, without resorting to last-minute or ad-hoc exam calls.
Potential Challenges and Critiques: What Could Go Wrong?
While the directive is well-intentioned and much needed, implementing it in a region like J&K may come with a few challenges:
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Backlogs and Syllabus Overruns: Given that many students often have backlog papers or delays in syllabus completion (due to strikes, weather, earlier postponements), strictly limiting exam windows may congest exam schedules into shorter windows outside vacations. This may put pressure on faculties to compress teaching and evaluation.
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Institutional Resistance or Poor Compliance: As recent history shows, some colleges had reportedly scheduled exams during vacations — which triggered this renewed directive. Changing entrenched practices may take time, and continuous monitoring will be needed.
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Logistics for Special/Supplementary Exams: Supplementary or re-examinations — often needed by weaker students — sometimes get delayed due to time constraints. With a “no exams in vacations” rule, colleges may struggle to find flexible windows for make-up exams, especially if delays accumulate.
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Communication & Awareness Gaps: The directive’s effectiveness depends heavily on whether colleges properly communicate the updated calendar to students, and whether students are aware of their rights. In remote areas, where internet access may be sporadic, there may be gaps in awareness.
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Heat in Summer Zones: While winters are a major concern, summers in parts of J&K (especially Jammu region) can also be harsh. Ensuring vacations during peak summer is right — but institutions must also ensure exams are not rescheduled in summer-based “cooler” but still uncomfortable months.
What This Means for Students, Faculty — And the Larger Educational Landscape in J&K
For students and faculty across J&K the new directive brings hope — hope for sanity in academic scheduling, hope for genuine rest, and hope for fair academic practices.
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For Students: This means that vacations will be true breaks — time to go home, to rest, to partake in personal or family time, without worrying about looming exams. For many, especially those from remote regions or harsh climates, this is a welcome relief.
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For Colleges and Universities: The directive brings clarity and a framework — exam scheduling must be planned well in advance, aligned with the Uniform Academic Calendar, and communicated transparently.
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For the Education Ecosystem in J&K: This is part of a broader reform — seeking to bring J&K’s higher education system in line with national standards, as envisioned in NEP 2020. It signals the administration’s seriousness about quality, equity, and standardised academic management.
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For Policy and Governance: The order reflects a shift from reactive, ad-hoc scheduling toward planned, institution-wide academic policy enforcement. If implemented sincerely, it could set a precedent for better governance, greater accountability, and student-centred academic policy in the region.
Conclusion
The December 5, 2025 directive by the Jammu and Kashmir Higher Education Department — prohibiting any form of examinations during officially notified vacation periods — is a decisive step toward institutionalising fair, humane, and standardised academic practices across the UT’s higher-education institutions.
By mandating strict adherence to the Uniform Academic Calendar, the order seeks to balance academic rigour with student and faculty welfare — protecting them from harsh weather, ensuring vacations serve their true purpose, and enabling educational enrichment beyond rote exams.
Of course, the success of this directive will depend on how faithfully institutions comply, how transparently they communicate the calendar, and how responsive authorities remain to student feedback. If implemented earnestly, this could mark a turning point in higher education governance in Jammu and Kashmir — ensuring that academic schedules, examinations, vacations, and enrichment activities are planned in a humane, equitable, and sustainable way.
