New school session in Vidarbha from June 30: Maharashtra education minister Deepak Kesarkar

NAGPUR: State education minister Deepak Kesarkar has said the new academic session for schools in Vidarbha will begin from June 30, instead of the earlier June 26 date. The decision has been taken in view of the anticipated extended heatwave, the minister said.
Kesarkar clarified that for the rest of Maharashtra, the school reopening date of June 15 remains unchanged.
Vandana Benjamin, president of Maharashtra English School Trustees Association (MESTA) women’s wing, said, “Any decision about students’ welfare is always welcome. However, in this case, extending the academic session opening date by a mere four days will not help. The difference will not be much, and it would not be proper either.”
She added that Nagpur’s weather in the last week of June is very ‘bearable’. “You obviously cannot compare it to the scorching heat of May, and we can easily accommodate students in a proper way,” said Benjamin.
The circular issued by the local education department says schools in Nagpur have the option to continue till May 14. Benjamin said, “However, schools will be closed for children. Staff will report daily for administrative work like results and then admissions.”
In recent times, some schools were advocating a shift in the policy to ‘end-in-April’ and ‘start-in-late-June’ for the academic sessions. They felt that asking students to come to school up to mid-April or even later is not advisable as the climate has changed drastically as compared to 30 years ago.
One such principal said, “In April, temperatures are well above the 40 degree Celsius mark. So, it is best to shut schools on March 31 and start early by June 10.”
This, however, is not possible due to legal issues, said Khemraj Kondhe, president (Vidarbha unit) of Rashtravadi Shikshak Sangh. “The high court had ruled that due to summer heat, schools in Vidarbha should not reopen before June 26. Meanwhile, in the rest of Maharashtra, schools reopen on June 15 because monsoon hits earlier there, and makes the weather more suitable for early reopening,” said Kondhe.
Still the four-day extension will help, feels Nicola Mcleod, senior teacher from St Josheph’s Convent. “It may not make a very big difference, but yes it will give the students respite from the heat because by then we have had a few showers to bring down the temperature,” said Mcleod. She also felt that no change is needed to the overall policy by starting schools earlier. “No point is shutting schools by March 31 as the heat is bearable then. Vidarbha weather conditions differ from the rest of the state, and June 10 is still very hot for students here,” she said.