Announce early vacations: Parents, students

Karan SharmaLudhiana: With the heatwave intensifying, parents in the city are apprehensive about sending their children to school in the scorching heat. Many parents and students have urged the government to announce early holidays in Ludhiana to protect children from the extreme weather.Students attending double-shift schools are the worst affected, as their classes begin at 12:30 pm — peak heatwave hours — and continue till 5:30 pm. Around 15 schools in Ludhiana operate in double shifts, including Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Govt Smart School, PM Shri Govt Senior Secondary School on Cemetery Road, and Govt Multipurpose Senior Secondary School, among others.Parents have expressed concern over the impact of the heat on children.

“My children feel exhausted and dehydrated after walking to school in this extreme heat. The government should consider the situation and announce holidays as soon as possible,” said Rambabu, a parent.Students, too, are seeking relief.“The temperature is not comfortable for us. There should be an early summer break, and if the weather improves, schools can call us back earlier,” said Gurvinder, a Class IX student.

For teachers, the situation is even more challenging as they are also engaged in census duties.“If the government declares early holidays, teachers will get some relief as we are juggling teaching with census duties in this weather,” said a government school teacher.Deputy District Education Officer Amandeep Singh said, “Currently, there are no such orders regarding early summer holidays for Punjab schools. If we receive any official notification, it will be implemented immediately.”