After summer break, heat forces schools, colleges to shift to morning, online mode
Times of India | 12 June 2024
Kolkata: Schools have started reopening after summer holidays but the sweltering heat, coupled with unbearable humidity, is forcing several institutes to tweak their schedules to spare the children the full onslaught of the hot spell. While one school has already shifted its classes online, two others have gone back to the pre-break summer timings.
State school education department is also taking feedback from district inspectors (DI) about the condition of teachers and students after the institutes resumed classes on Monday amid the hot spell.
Assembly of God Church shifted its classes online on Tuesday. “We reopened school on Monday. But on seeing the extreme discomfort faced by students, we decided to shift classes online till the weather improved,” Assembly of God Church School principal Lionel M Chellappa said.
Our Lady Queen of the Missions School, Park Circus, is finishing classes early, starting at 7.15am and finishing at 11.45am. The school plans to follow the schedule for at least a week. Calcutta Girls’ School, too, is following its summer routine till further notice. Some other schools, like St Augustine’s Day School in Shyamnagar and in Barrackpore, have restricted their students’ outdoor activities.
Officials at state schools said officers from Kolkata district inspector’s office spoke to several institute heads, asking about students’ and teachers’ difficulties, if Some children at Scottish Church Collegiate School fell ill on Monday but classes went off smoothly on Tuesday, said principal Bibhas Sanyal.
“We are speaking to school heads to discuss alternative methods we cam adopt to avoid the heat,” said an official from the Kolkata district inspector’s office. “At the same time, we haver to remember there is no substitute to physical classes.”
This year, Calcutta University has instructed the affiliated colleges to hold classes during the summer break, between June 6 and June 30. While classes are on at most campuses, some, like Scottish Church and Asutosh, are holding classes in online-offline hybrid mode. Scottish Church principal Madhumanjari Mandal said, “Our hostel will reopen on June 15. So, we are conducting classes in hybrid mode so that students living outside the city can also attend classes. Heads of different departments have been asked to prepare schedules accordingly.” Surendranath College has been conducting a few classes online and practical lessons offline. Lady Brabourne College has allowed senior guest lecturers to hold online classes if they want.