Preponement of summer vacation in Odisha schools: Minister clears air

Bhubaneswar: With parents demanding preponement of summer vacation for schoolchildren keeping in view the heatwave condition in the state, School and Mass Education Minister Samir Dash today informed the state Government will take decision in this regard after reviewing situation.

Speaking to mediapersons here, the Minister said parents have expressed their discontentment over the schedule of summer vacation in June this year while the break usually starts in the month of May every year.

“While the Higher Education Department has declared summer vacation for college and university students from June 1 to 16, we have fixed the holiday from June 6 to 16 for schoolchildren. In view of the heatwave condition, morning classes are being held in schools. However, we have received proposals from different quarters for preponement of the summer vacation in schools. Government will take a decision in this regard soon after reviewing the situation,” he said.

Also Read: Odisha curtails summer vacation for universities, colleges

Regarding conduct of Class 10 and 12 board examinations amidst the COVID fourth wave scare, the Minister further said the Health Department has kept a close watch on the situation.

“The situation in the state is stable now. We do not think COVID-19 will have any impact on conduct of the board exams this year. Prioritizing students’ education, we have also allowed offline classes in schools for the time being. If any concerning situation arises in future, we will take an appropriate decision as per the Health Department’s  recommendations,” Dash added.

Earlier this month, the state Government announced to curtail the summer vacations this year to just 10 days, in order to complete the syllabus on time.