Rains force shut schools, colleges again on Friday

Vadodara: As water level started rising in Vishwamitri river, academic work at all schools and colleges in the city came to a grinding halt once again on Friday. By 1.30 pm, flood-wary M S University officials asked its students and staff to leave the campus for safer locations as part of a precautionary measure considering that Ajwa lake was overflowing and even Vishwamitri was steadily rising.
The campus is already witnessing thin presence of students since the last couple of days. Even those teachers who had reached the campus to conduct classes or workshops at their faculties despite incessant rains were asked to leave the campus.
With the city witnessing incessant rains since early on Friday morning, many parents avoided sending their wards to schools.
As Vadodara district collector Shalini Agrawal declared holiday for all the schools and colleges later in the day, those parents who had sent their kids to schools were forced to rush back to pick up their kids leading to chaos at some schools.
A few schools which had planned extra-curricular activities or classes on Saturday sent messages through apps informing parents that the scheduled activities have been postponed to a later date. But the district administration did not declare any holiday for Saturday till late in the night. “As of now, schools and colleges will remain open on Saturday,” Agrawal said.