BENGALURU: Following the demise of Jnanapith awardee Girish Karnad, the state government declared Monday a holiday for government offices and schools as a mark of respect. But the late announcement only created confusion, especially among parents and schoolchildren.

The government announced the holiday around 11 am, but by then schools had already started classes as per their regular time — 8.30 am.

According to the circular, it was up to the school managements to take the final call on declaring a holiday. So, many schools decided to continue with their regular session.

After the government announcement, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike declared a holiday for its staffers and schools. Government schools sent their students home by afternoon, but private schools continued as usual.

The announcement kept parents on their toes who started making inquires to schools to check on the status. Many of them also rushed to schools. However, working parents were in a fix as they neither could not take leave from office or make quick arrangements to collect their wards. 

Meanwhile, many government staffers said if the government truly wanted to honour Karnad, it should have announced a holiday on Tuesday.