Jammu Schools to Switch to Online Classes Automatically During Weather or Emergency Closures

The Directorate of School Education, Jammu has issued a circular asking every government school under it to stay ready for online classes at all times, so that learning does not stop when schools are forced to shut for bad weather, a natural calamity or any other emergency. If you study in a government school in Jammu division, here is what this circular means for you and how your classes are likely to work the next time your school closes temporarily.

What This Circular Is About

Offline classes will remain the normal way of teaching in your school. Nothing changes there. But whenever the competent authority orders a temporary closure in your area because of adverse weather, a natural calamity or an emergency, your school will move to online classes for as long as the closure lasts. Once your school reopens, you go back to attending classes in person as usual.

There is one important exception. If you study in a school located in a district headquarters municipal area, or any other area that the closure order does not affect, your classes will continue offline without interruption, even if nearby areas are shut.

The Directorate has also made it clear that this readiness has to exist all the time. Your school cannot wait for a closure order to figure out how online classes will work. Teachers, timetables and digital resources are all supposed to be ready in advance so that classes can start online almost immediately.

Getting You Ready Before Classes Go Online

Before switching to the hybrid model, your school is expected to orient you on how online classes will work. This includes how to join a class, how to behave online, how to stay safe on the internet, how attendance will be tracked, how you are expected to interact during a live class and how you will submit assignments. If you are a younger student, your parents or guardians will also be briefed so they can help you join classes regularly.

Your school will also update and verify contact details for students and, wherever needed, parents or guardians from time to time, so that everyone can be reached quickly if classes need to move online.

No Student Gets Left Out

The circular is clear that no student should miss out on learning just because they do not have a smartphone, laptop or a reliable internet connection. Heads of Institutions have been told to identify such students in advance and arrange alternatives wherever possible. This could mean:

• Printed worksheets and offline study material
• Academic support over the phone
• Help through community or cluster level resources in the area

If you are worried about not having a device or connectivity at home, this is something your school is expected to plan for, not something you need to figure out alone.

How Your Online Classes Will Actually Run

Once online mode is activated, your school is supposed to follow your regular timetable as closely as possible, with class durations and breaks suited to your age group. Your Head of Institution will issue a schedule showing which subject and teacher you have at what time, along with the syllabus topics to be covered in each session.

Classes will be held on a digital platform approved by the Directorate. If your class strength is large, your school may split it into sections or smaller batches so that everyone gets a chance to interact and participate properly instead of sitting through a class where the teacher cannot reach every student.

Your teachers are also expected to keep their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and assignments ready in advance, and this material is meant to work whether you have a strong internet connection or a weak one.

Attendance and Assessment Will Still Be Recorded

Even in online mode, your attendance, the topics taught, the material shared, assignments given and any assessment you undertake will be recorded by your teachers, just as they would be for offline classes. Your Head of Institution will review these records, and they can be checked whenever required. In short, online classes are meant to count exactly like regular classes, not as an informal substitute.

How the Switch to Online Mode Happens

As soon as your school receives a closure order, the Head of Institution is expected to inform staff, students and parents about the online schedule right away, so that classes can start without unnecessary delay. Online mode will continue until the competent authority formally announces that offline functioning has been restored. You do not need to wait for a separate instruction to know when to switch back; once restoration is notified, regular offline classes resume.

Who Is Watching Over This

Heads of Institutions are expected to monitor online classes daily, check how well teachers and students are participating, and sort out any technical or access problems as they come up. Chief Education Officers will supervise this across their districts and send compliance reports to the Directorate, while the Joint Director (School Education), Jammu will guide and support schools in running the hybrid model smoothly.

About the Order

This circular, numbered DSEJ/Coord/2026 34912 to 35100, was issued by the Director School Education, Jammu on 25 July 2026, and has been circulated to education officials across Jammu division, including Chief Education Officers, Joint Directors, Principals of DIETs, Cluster Heads and Zonal Education Officers, for implementation.

What You Should Do

You do not need to take any action right now unless your school informs you otherwise. What is worth keeping in mind is that your school is expected to prepare you in advance for online classes rather than explain things after a closure is already announced, so pay attention if your school conducts any orientation or trial session on this. If your school has not shared how it plans to handle online classes during a closure, or if you or your family do not have a device or internet access at home, you can raise this with your class teacher or Head of Institution, since the circular specifically asks schools to plan for such situations.