Chennai district administration officials say they declared a holiday for Friday at 5.30 am
Water level in reservoirs in southern peninsula is very low and revival in rains will help, says IMD. (Photo: PTI)
Chennai: The confirmation came after 6 am on Friday. Till then, several parents in the city were unsure of waking up their children and get them ready for school. With the district administration choosing to wait till the nth hour before declaring a holiday on account of rain, many parents and schools were confused because of the delay in announcement.
Ani Nair, a parent from Karapakkam on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), said he was calling up the school transport head at about 6.30 am for the last couple of days to check whether the school functioned. “We don’t have any official communication from the administration or school either through SMS or WhatsApp for us to plan the day,” he said.
Pointing out that power supply becomes a problem during rain, Hema, another parent said the government should look for different ways like bulk SMS to inform parents and students about holiday instead of declaring it through television channels. “Students leave home by 6.30 am to board the bus by 7 am. So, the government should declare holiday a day in advance,” she said.
N.Vijayan, correspondent, Zion group of schools, said they depended mostly on media to get details about holidays and suggested that government should let schools decide about leave as it may not rain in the district headquarters but rain in some other parts of the district where a school is located.
Ironically, the first holiday declared by the district administration on November 2 saw a bright sunny day in Chennai and left many wondering on what basis the decision had been taken. Since then, officials have been waiting till morning to make the announcement despite warnings of heavy rainfall from meteorological department.
Chennai district administration officials say they declared a holiday for Friday at 5.30 am through television for faster dissemination of information. Officials added that they take the decision after taking the night rainfall into consideration and the next day’s early morning forecast to declare a holiday.
Circular sent to schools to ensure safety of students during showers
The directorate of elementary education has asked all schools to take adequate steps to ensure safety of students in schools while it rains. In a circular to all district elementary education officers, the Directorate of Elementary Education R.Elangovan has said that school heads should identify a student with leadership qualities from each locality to lead students safely from their area to schools and back home.
The headmasters have been asked to check roofs of buildings in school to make sure they don’t leak or does not have any cracks. The school heads have also been advised to pump out rain water if they were found in the institution, besides create awareness among students not to go near lakes and other water bodies as they might overflow due to incessant rains. Teachers have been asked to check students during breaks and ensure that they are safe. “Students should be asked to drink hot water to prevent any kind of diseases. Officials should take all possible steps for safety of students,” the circular said.
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
Next Story
