CHENNAI: A private higher secondary school in Kancheepuram declared a sudden holiday on Thursday due to a scheduled power outage. Many students who arrived at the school unaware of the holiday returned home.
From LKG to Class 12, over 900 children study in the private school located in Pillaiyarpalayam. On Wednesday, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board announced that power supply would be suspended from 9 am to 4 pm in Pillaiyarpalayam for maintenance work on Thursday.
Following the announcement, the school management informed parents about the holiday via a text message on Thursday morning, but many parents did not notice the message on time and sent their children to school as usual. The students learnt about the holiday only after reaching the school and were forced to return home. This severely affected students who travel from a long distance, who had to make the arduous journey back.
Irked parents questioned the school's decision, claiming that institutions charging substantial fees should have adequate backup facilities such as generators or inverters to ensure classes continue without disruption during scheduled power cuts.
They said this was the first time a private school in Kancheepuram had independently declared a holiday because of a power outage.
The District Educational Officer said that the school had informed them of the holiday in the morning and would compensate for the lost working day on Saturday, to which the department had agreed.
The official also said the school management had been instructed not to declare holidays in the future due to a lack of electricity.