Owing to the severe heatwave conditions in the national Capital, parents have urged the Delhi Government to either revise the school timings or advance the summer holidays. Parents claim that current school timings are not appropriate for students to step out in the sun in view of the sweltering heat and increase in Covid cases.
The Haryana Government on Monday announced that due to the intense heatwave prevalent throughout the State, the timings of all schools -- Government and private -- will be from 7 A.M. to 12 P.M. for classes 1 to 12 with effect from May 4. Meanwhile, the West Bengal Government has announced an early summer vacation this year. Aparajitha Gautam, president, Delhi Parents Association said that: “The Centre has advised people not to go out in the sun, especially between 12 noon and 3 P.M. But in Delhi, most of the schools are held between 8 A.M. to 2 P.M. That means that during peak summer hours, students are out in the sun, which is really dangerous.
We request the Delhi Government to either revise the school timings like other States are doing or pre-pone the summer holidays."
Amid the intense heatwave across the country, the Centre had last week urged States and Union Territories to review their health facility preparedness for availability of adequate quantities of essential medicines and necessary equipments while ensuring sufficient drinking water and continued functioning of cooling appliances in critical areas. The Centre had also advised people to avoid strenuous activities outside between 12 noon and 3 P.M., avoid alcohol, tea, coffee, or drinks with large amounts of sugar, stating these may lead to loss of more body fluids or cause stomach cramps. The Centre had also advised people to avoid high protein food and stale food and not leave children or pets in parked vehicles due to the high temperatures. Nidhi Vaishnav, a parent said previously, whenever the temperature used to rise the schools used to pre-pone summer vacations but that is not an option this year considering schools have reopened after a long time due to Covid.
“However, the heat is extreme this year and at least the schools can revise the timings for children to be less exposed,” she said. A torrid heatwave has sent the mercury soaring across large swathes of the country with the temperature in Delhi rising up to 46 degrees Celsius. Delhi also recorded its second-hottest April in 72 years with a monthly average maximum temperature of 40.2 degrees Celsius.