Kolkata, April 27 (UNI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced an early summer vacation for schools from May 2 following extreme heatwave conditions in the state.
The announcement came after the Chief Minister conducted a meeting on the heatwave conditions prevailing in the state. Banerjee appealed not only to government schools, but also private schools in the state to take a humane approach on the matter.
Banerjee said during a meeting with officials, “We know the temperature is very high in many districts. Schoolchildren are suffering owing to the prevailing weather. Many children have fallen sick unable to tolerate the heat wave. So, we have decided to start summer vacation from May 2.”
She hinted that the vacation may continue till June 15 or 20, but said the school education department will take the final call. Earlier, a renowned school in the city announced cancellation of all in-person classes till Friday due to the heatwave.
Classes will be held online, as per the regular schedule, the school authorities informed parents and students. “We hope the weather condition will improve from next week to enable us to resume in-school classes from Monday,” the official notice stated.
Heatwave conditions have developed in several districts of South Bengal including Kolkata. The maximum temperature in most South Bengal districts including Kolkata remained around 40 degrees Celsius. The met office has warned that the effect will be maximum between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Doctors have advised people not to venture outdoor unless it is a necessity. The Met office here has forecast that the heatwave conditions in seven south Bengal districts including Kolkata will continue for the next two days and ruled out any possibility of rains.
