Indo-Pak Tensions Cloud JEE Advanced Prep for Kashmir

Escalating cross-border skirmishes have thrown exam season into turmoil in Jammu & Kashmir. Following India’s May 7 air strikes (“Operation Sindoor”) in response to a terror attack, authorities pre-emptively shut schools and colleges in several border districts.com. In Jammu division, the Divisional Commissioner ordered all institutions in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch to close on May 8 as a precaution. Similarly, in Kashmir division, classes in Baramulla, Kupwara, Gurez and even areas around Awantipora and Srinagar airport were suspended that week. Border areas of Punjab and Rajasthan also saw exam schedules disrupted by security alerts and curfews. These measures came amid rising shelling along the Line of Control, as both governments sounded artillery barrages and enforced blackouts in sensitive towns.

Students Should Know :

With travel routes choked, many Kashmiri students preparing for national exams find themselves stranded. Times of India reports that Srinagar’s airport was closed and the Jammu-Srinagar highway blocked by landslides and security checks, leaving travelers helpless. Students who had rushed home for safety after the Pahalgam attack now cannot reach distant test centers. A postgraduate exam candidate told TOI she was “stranded on the route to Delhi for over 12 hours” while trying to reach her exam center. The Jammu & Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has appealed to authorities—including the Jamia Millia Islamia administration—to postpone entrance tests and schedule extra exam sessions for those affected. In short, a normally high-stakes examination period has become a logistical nightmare for aspirants in the Valley.

Even basic infrastructure has been adjusted to accommodate exams. In early May, the power utility in Kashmir (KPDCL) revoked planned outages coinciding with the NEET-UG exam to keep lights on during tests. (Any approved shutdowns on May 4 and elsewhere were cancelled.) Such steps reflect past practice: amid uncertainty, officials aim to avoid additional hurdles for students. (By contrast, Jammu authorities had closed all schools and colleges on May 9–10 during the conflict, underscoring the disruption.) Internet connectivity remains a perennial concern too; though no new shutdown was ordered, Kashmiri students know well the frustration of patchy services during crises.

Students Reaction –

Two students pore over notes despite the chaos around them. For Kashmiri JEE aspirants, the pressures are intense. On social media many pleaded for relief. One candidate wrote that in this “war-like situation” it is “hard for them to focus on the syllabus”. A student from Jammu told ThePrint she “hasn’t been able to study for the past two days” and warned that traveling even to nearby centres is now “extremely difficult”. Anxiety runs high as sirens and blackouts disturb study sessions. The Reuters wire reports locals describing a mood of dread – even as pupils sit in class, “fear among the parents is running high”. Such unease has galvanized student groups: JKSA’s letter urges flexible dates and extra exam slots to ensure nobody is unfairly disadvantaged.

What Authorities Stated –

So far, however, exam authorities have resisted changing dates. Per IIT Kanpur (the 2025 convener), the JEE-Advanced will go ahead on May 18 as scheduled, with two papers in the morning and afternoon. The National Testing Agency (for JEE-Mains and other exams) and Education Ministry have not announced any postponement. Instead, officials say security arrangements are in full force. EdexLive reports that the Ministry of Education and Home Ministry have put emergency protocols in place to protect students, even considering relocating exam centres in high-risk zones. A senior ministry official told ThePrint that the situation is being “closely monitored” and “students’ interest will be kept in mind in whatever decision may be taken”. In practice this has meant boosting forces at centres and keeping exam halls under guard, even while cancelling unrelated drills or leaves.

Past precedents offer mixed lessons.

 During the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020–21, national exams were postponed for months; JEE-Advanced 2020 ultimately moved from May to September. And in 2023 the NTA did defer university entrance tests in Kashmir after local unrest, a step critics say set a clear precedent. As one Congress leader noted in a letter, last year’s postponement for J&K students “demanded similar urgency” to today’s crisis. Other professional exams have also been shifted: for example, the ICAI postponed May 2025 CA exams in high-alert zones. So far, though, no comparable decision has been made for JEE.

Students have mixed reactions. Some are planning to appear on May 18 regardless, unwilling to sacrifice a year of preparation; others express anger. “We can only focus on the result, without knowing if we’ll even get there,” said one forum commenter. As one Kashmiri aspirant put it privately, every practice paper now feels heavier, shadowed by uncertainty. For now, families in the valley continue to review equations by candlelight and 2G internet, hoping that JEE Advanced will proceed and that exam day won’t turn tragic. “Stay safe, keep studying” is the mantra heard in every household – even as the nation waits to see if peace will prevail by result time.

Sources: Local and national news reports on education and Indo-Pak tensions.

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