Odisha: School summer break down to 11 days

BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Saturday curtailed summer vacation in government and government-aided schools from 48 to 11 days to bridge students’ learning gaps that they developed during prolonged closure of offline classes during the Covid-19 pandemic. These schools will have their summer vacation from June 6 to 16.
The government said morning classes from 6 to 9 am will resume on Monday following a five-day break in view of heatwave across the state.
Also, examinations, scheduled to be held by different boards and councils, will take place as usual, a government notification said.
The government has also decided to conduct the Learning Recovery Plan (LRP) programmes, chalked out by the Odisha School Education Programme Authority, to make up the academic loss of students.
“The LRP programmes will be held in government and government-aided schools during this period as the summer vacation period has been curtailed. Students of Classes III to XII will be covered under this plan,” said school and mass education secretary Bishnupada Sethi.
Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Nehru Vidyalayas have declared a 48-day summer vacation, from May 4 to June 20, in their schools across Odisha.
Private schools in the city, however, are yet to decide on their summer vacation period. While some of these schools have declared summer vacation for pre-schoolers and junior classes, others are continuing with online classes.
“Running a school in May is impossible. Besides, we regularly conducted online classes during the pandemic. So, this year, we declared summer holidays for junior classes from May 8 to June 20. Senior classes will have their vacation from June 2 to 20. Summer camps, workshops and internship programmes for students of Class II onwards will be organised so that they can make the best use of their vacation,” said Nilakantha Panigrahy, principal of SAI International School.
Parents, however, demanded the government to announce summer vacation in May itself in view of the scorching heat.
“The rising temperature has become unbearable. If we can keep schools closed for over two years on health grounds, why cannot we do it now for a month owing to harsh weather condition. Children cannot attend classes in such weather,” said Supriti Sahu, a parent.