Amid soaring temperatures, school timings revised in heat-affected areas of Himachal

The Himachal Pradesh Education Department on Friday revised school timings in hear-affected areas of the state, including — Hamirpur, Kangra, Una, Bilaspur, Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh area of Solan and Paonta Sahib area of Sirmaur district — officials said.

According to a notification issued by the Director of Education, the decision was taken due to the rising temperatures and difficulties faced by students due to the harsh weather conditions.

The order states that schools will now function from 7.30 am to 1 pm, instead of the earlier 9 am to 3.30 pm schedule. It also directed school authorities to provide two additional drinking water breaks to ensure students remain hydrated.

Deputy Directors in the respective districts have been asked to inform the Directorate about the implementation of the revised timetable.

The District Magistrate of Hamirpur, Amarjeet Singh, also issued orders on Friday revising the school hours for both government and private schools. The directive said the senior secondary schools in district will operate from 8 am to 2 pm, while primary schools will run from 8 am to 1 pm.

The move came after several parents in Hamirpur appealed to the district administration to revise school timings as temperatures have soared close to 40°C.

Parents had raised concerns about the risk of heatstroke, especially for younger children. They had suggested school timings be shifted to 7 am-12 pm or 7.30 am-12.30 pm.

In Una district, summer vacations have been extended till June 30. In Hamirpur, the first part of the vacation ended on June 8, and the second part is scheduled to begin from July 13.

Parents said students and teachers are struggling with the heat, and pre-primary students are the worst affected, with incidents of dizziness and illness being reported from schools.