Schools stick to guns, say closing would affect their schedule

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 22

While the government has recently declared holidays for all government schools, its jealous times for private school students who hurry off to schools in the chill of the foggy, dew-dripping winter mornings even as their government counterparts enjoy cosy quilted delight at home.

Many parents and NGOs were clearly peeved at majority of the schools sticking to their winter breaks and calling children to schools. Schools across the city in turn give their own set of reasons on why they couldn’t have preponed the winter break. The prime grouse with schools is that the government declares sudden holidays without any regard for school schedules, syllabi or planning.

Surinder Saini, social activist, said, “It is such an inconvenience to parents in this weather when half their wards are going to school and some are not. Different schools, rather than ensuring a common break for students have stuck on to their schedule asking students to come to school in such cold weather. Ideally, all schools closing and opening at similar time in the month is a proper way to do things. Additionally both from the cold weather and security point of view schools should have closed.”

Satwant Gakhal, director, MGN Public Schools, said: “We have a meticulous schedule planned for stuydnets due to which any upset in the schedule would upset both the children’s studies and parents’ winter plans. Parents go abroad or manage their children’s plans depending on the winter schedule of schools. If we suddenly declare a holiday, it is rather going to make them unhappy. So we have to stick to our schedule.”

“As far as the cold is concerned, we can only request parents and students that they take utmost care and dress up warmly according to the weather,” she said.

Madhu Sharma, principal, Apeejay School Rama Mandi, said: “Most government schools closed down in January and it got too cold. It is the first time this year that we closed it on the first of January anticipating similar weather. But the winter got came in early and we are left with a similar situation again. Our curriculum plans are so tightly schedules that it is impossible to send children home without meeting the proper schedule. We are surprised how government schools do it. The weather is also so fickle one can’t guarantee the inset of the chill. So presently we are ensuring that the study aspect of children doesn’t suffer, in any case vacations start from January 1.”

Sapna Bakshi, principal, Eklavya School, said: “Both during summers and winters this problem is exceedingly being seen. While the weather is fickle, the government declares a holiday which clashes with ours and we are left in a lurch. So we have now begun planning things in a way that we leave a 15-day margin in case there is an exigency.”