School timings change today

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 17

The Jalandhar DC has announced a change in school timings in the district. All government, aided and private schools will now open at 7:30 am in the morning and close at 12 noon, starting from tomorrow till May 31.

The orders released by the District Commssioner say, “Since there is a danger of deterioration of children’s health due to heat, caution needs to be observed to ensure that incidents which imperil the health of children don’t take place. A committee constituted to look into these issues has sought a change in the timings of schools.”

Notably, the chairman of the State Child Rights Protection had on Monday written to the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare and Social Security, regarding the change in school timings across schools in the state. The commission’s letter had cited repeated warnings from weather experts regarding intense heat wave expected in the coming days. It also cited a recent incident in Jalandhar wherein a seven-year-old child lost his life due to heat.

While in the wake of such instructions, school timings across the state were ordered to be changed this morning, the DC also issued instructions to this effect here today. “The DC, under Section 144 of the CrPC, has ordered a change of timings of all government, private and aided schools in the Jalandhar district. The schools shall be open at 7.30 am in the morning and the time of the closure of schools shall be 12.00 noon. This shall be applicable from May 18 to May 31,” the notice said.

The DC has also instructed that the message be spread through various mediums and be propagated through official vehicles. The District Education Officers (secondary and elementary) would be responsible to implement these orders in all schools in true spirit and manner. It was also made it clear that if any school opened before 7.30 am, in that case, there will be no change in the school timing in morning but the closing of schools at 12 noon would remain same in all cases.