The West Bengal government on Tuesday decided to reopen state-run and aided secondary schools from June 5 and primary schools from June 7 after a month-long summer vacation, which was preponed due to intense heat.
Physical classes were suspended for a week from April 16 when the mercury shot up to around 40 degrees Celsius in South Bengal. Summer vacation was announced on May 2 due to the prevailing weather conditions.
"Considering prevailing weather conditions, it has been decided by the competent authority that the schools may reopen after the summer vacation as per the schedule of academic calendar of respective boards, i.e. from June 5 for the secondary schools and from June 7 for the primary schools," a notification issued by the School Education Department said.
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Bengal Primary Teachers' Association general secretary Anirban Handa, who had earlier termed the state's decision to prepone summer vacation as arbitrary, welcomed the department's notice for reopening of schools.
Handa told PTI, "Classes in schools should resume at the earliest. This is necessary for completing the curriculum and fostering the school-going habit of children, especially in rural areas, which had been greatly affected during the long break in 2020-21 due to the COVID pandemic. Heat is nothing unusual in a country like ours, especially as global warming is on the rise. We cannot shut down everything for that."
