Himachal Pradesh govt closes all educational institutions till Sept 7

SHIMLA: Taking note of the persistent heavy to very heavy rainfall across all regions over the past several days leading to widespread devastation, the state education department on Wednesday ordered that all govt and private colleges as well as schools, including district institutes of education and training (DIETs), shall remain closed till September 7 across the state.The order issued by education secretary Rakesh Kanwar mentions that teachers and administrative staff will also be exempted from attending colleges and schools. However, concerned heads of institutions shall ensure that teaching classes are conducted through online mode, whenever possible.It has also been directed that the heads of institutions – principals, headmasters, heads of schools – shall remain vigilant during this period to ensure the safety and security of the infrastructure and movable assets of the educational institutions. In case the school assets are damaged or there is a likelihood of damage to these assets, then these institution heads will ensure the safekeeping of the movable assets and school records. The order reads that due to prevalent inclement weather conditions, there is a high possibility of recurrence of disaster incidents at several locations in the entire state in the coming days.