Surat: At least 400 self-financed and 198 grant-in-aid schools have approached education department of the state government requesting that it reconsider the decision to observe vacation during Navratri.
The schools demanded that Navratri vacation be cancelled and Diwali vacation not be shortened.
The self-financed schools have threatened to keep the schools open during Navratri in view of demand by parents and students. The managements of the self-financed schools in a meeting held recently had decided that they will not observe vacation during Navratri.
“Considering demand of students, teachers and parents, we need to keep the schools open. On very next day of the 10-day Navratri vacation, first term examination is due to start for classes X, XI and XII,” said Mahesh Patel, president of self-financed school association.
Representatives of the grant-in-aid school management association had also approached the education department with the same demand. The management association of 198 schools asked the education department officials to allow them to keep the schools open during Navratri.
“To give vacation in Navratri, the authorities had shortened Diwali vacation from 21 days to 14. For a city like Surat where large number of migrant population lives, it will become a major problem. This is because many plan visit to their native places during Diwali vacation,” a school administrator said.
“The self-financed and grant-in-aid school associations have approached us and demanded that Navratri vacation be cancelled. As of now, no changes have been made in the vacation announced earlier,” said U N Rathod, district education officer, Surat.
