MANSI BHAMBRI | Dehradun
With the district administration frequently announcing school holidays in prompt response to the heavy rain warning by the State Meteorology centre, some parents have urged the school authorities to rationalise the summer and winter vacations so that such rain-induced holidays after the summer break do not adversely impact the studies at the schools.
Notably, every year, from June to August, monsoon showers affect school studies for days with the district administrations being forced to issue school shutdown orders to ensure the safety of the students. Keeping this in view, some parents have suggested rationalising the summer and winter vacations in such a way so that there would be no rain-caused rupture while ensuring that the students do not suffer the summer’s scorch.
This year, in the Dehradun district, the District Magistrate has declared as many as nine holidays so far due to heavy rainfall alerts. These dates are: June 30, July 10, July 21, August 4, August 5, August 6, August 11, August 12, and August 13. Many parents have voiced concerns regarding the disruption of their children’s learning due to these frequently announced holidays.
A parent, Kiran Kumari said that such holiday announcements happen annually at the peak of the monsoon while pointing out the fact that the monsoon season begins just after the summer vacation. “The two-month summer break disrupts the academic schedule and adds to them the extra rain-prompted holidays. Such disruptions in the academic routines can be avoided if we go for a little change in the duration of the vacations. I may suggest the summer vacation be shortened by a few days and these days be included in a separate monsoon break. This adjustment may reduce the number of school breaks. But it must be ensured at the same time that the children do not suffer the heat during the summer peak,” she observed.
Another parent, Gagan Yadav said that many schools conduct online classes to mitigate the monsoon disruptions. “But I feel the children do not take these classes seriously. So, it is better to shorten the summer vacation to provide a separate monsoon break in July and August when the monsoon peaks,” he suggested.
Many other parents have shared similar suggestions. A few of them have even suggested curtailing winter vacation by a few days and adjusting them with the summer vacation to spare the children the scorching summer heat.
A former president of the teacher association at SCERT Uttarakhand, Ankit Joshi acknowledged the rationale behind the parents’ suggestions. “We in Uttarakhand face heavy rain every year during the monsoon and the DM is quite justified in announcing holidays for students’ safety. However, we should find out something which ensures the students’ safety and at the same time does not negatively impact the learning process. Restructuring the summer and winter vacations might pave way for a monsoon vacation without unduly shortening the summer break,” he noted.
To recall, the State education minister, Dhan Singh Rawat had declared in 2023 that a monsoon vacation might be implemented in the State from the following year. But things remain un-implemented till date.
