Fresh guidelines for declaring holiday to schools on rainy days

The principal secretary of state school education department has instructed all district Collectors to declare holiday to schools only in case of severe inundation or flooding in any area leading to paralysis of transport facilities. “Mere rain or drizzle should not be taken as cause for declaring holidays,” the order said.

Instructing Collectors to decide on schools only three hours before the opening of schools, school education department has also instructed the chief educational officers to assess the gravity of situation and suggest the area and day for declaring holiday to the district Collector. The order has also criticised district Collector for resorting to declaring holidays for schools even on a normal rainy day without realising that it disturbs the entire lesson plan for teaching and learning.

“On mere warnings of cyclone, irrespective of intensity, school holidays are declared in a routine manner on the previous day itself; it has been noticed that on the days of holiday on account of rains, there is bright sunshine,” the government said, ordering Collectors to duly compensate holidays declared in any area by opening schools in that area on Saturdays so that students do not miss any lesson planned for the day of holiday.

The government has also instructed that efforts be made to open schools (taken over for relief camps during floods) at the earliest and camps, if any, should be shifted to other facilities available in the vicinity.