Srinagar, May 12, 2025 – The Jammu and Kashmir government announced that all schools and colleges in non-border districts of the Union Territory will reopen on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, following a week-long closure due to heightened India-Pakistan tensions. The decision comes after a US-mediated ceasefire, effective from 5 PM on May 10, restored tentative calm following India’s Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory strike targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
Education Minister Sakina Itoo confirmed the reopening, stating, “All schools and colleges of Jammu and Kashmir falling outside the border areas shall reopen on Tuesday. As far as the reopening of schools in border areas is concerned, we will take the call on Tuesday.” The Director of School Education Kashmir clarified that schools in border districts Kupwara, Baramulla, and the Gurez sub-division of Bandipora will remain closed until further assessment.
The closure, initiated on May 7, affected educational institutions across Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Poonch, Rajouri, Baramulla, Kupwara, and Gurez, as well as schools near Srinagar International Airport and Awantipora air base, due to security concerns. The shelling by Pakistan Rangers, which killed 18 civilians and seven security personnel, including BSF Constable Deepak Chingakham, damaged infrastructure and displaced thousands, prompting the government to prioritise safety.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has been actively engaged in relief efforts, visiting the Poonch District Hospital to ensure medical care for the injured, meeting the family of a civilian killed in Jammu’s R S Pura sector, and inspecting shelters and the Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, alongside advisor Nasir Aslam Wani and MLA Ajaz Jan, visited Poonch to console affected families, emphasizing bunker construction and ex-gratia payments of ₹10 lakh for victims’ kin.
Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, noted, “After reviewing the situation, the Education Department has decided to reopen non-border districts’ educational institutions, while border districts will continue the closure.” The resumption aligns with the reopening of Srinagar International Airport, which restored flight operations on May 12 after a similar suspension
The government has established helplines to assist students, particularly those from outside Jammu and Kashmir studying in the region or local students returning home. Many institutions have shifted to online classes to minimize academic disruption. The decision to reopen reflects cautious optimism, though heightened security persists amid Manipur’s ethnic tensions, which have amplified the emotional weight of Chingakham’s martyrdom.
