Srinagar, Sept. 21 -- Chief cleric of Srinagar's grand mosque, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Sunday, advocated for a five-day school week in Jammu and Kashmir for a healthy and balanced life for children. Mirwaiz spoke to the media after witnessing the overwhelming participation of children in a 'Grand Seerah Competition' held at Jama Masjid, Srinagar, where around 2,800 boys and girls from religious schools (maktabs) across districts took part. Responding to a question regarding the proposal before the government to examine a five-day school week in J&K, Mirwaiz welcomed the move and said the wellbeing of children must remain at the centre of the education system. "Our children need time not only to study, but also to rest, spend time with their families, play and grow in a healthy and balanced manner. Their mental health and overall wellbeing must remain at the heart of education," he said. He said that the focus should not be only on education and syllabus completion but their overall development. "They should get time in their homes to be with their families and to play. They should also get time to go into their communities. They should be able to participate in community programmes, otherwise there is so much stress of education on them to complete the syllabus and go to tuitions," he said. Mirwaiz said that some countries across the globe are now going for a three-day weekend off. "Across the world there are two days off. In fact, some European countries have shifted to a three-day weekend off. The government should go ahead with this proposal so that students come to schools with a fresh mind on Monday after spending Saturday and Sunday at home," he said.htc...