Srinagar, Mar 10 (IANS): After their long winter recess, schools re-opened in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, except in south Kashmir areas where they will start functioning on March 12.

Smiling children accompanied by parents dotted the city in the morning as scores of school buses moved around picking them up from the bus stops.

Traditionally opening of schools after the almost three-month long winter recess has always been an event in the lives of teachers and students of the Valley.

However, for the last nearly 30 years, since militancy started here, education of children has suffered not only due to the vagaries of winter, but also because of the adverse law and order situation.

Private schools as well as all government schools up to the higher secondary level were scheduled to start functioning on March 5, but authorities shut the educational institutions including schools and colleges in the wake of the Shopian firing incident.

Six persons, including two militants and four civilians were killed in Pahnoo area in Shopian in a gunfight on March 4.