Bhubaneswar: In order to help the students make up the loss in their study due to COVID induced lockdown for two years, the state government is contemplating to reduce their summer vacation this year.
According to sources in School and Mass Education department, the vacation may be cut down by 35 days. The schools may remain closed for curtailed summer vacation from May 6 to 16, they said.
The department would advise the schools to revise the subjects of previous year in physical classrooms during the additional days of the vacation this year. It may be noted that the students were given class promotion without physical study and examinations due to lockdown in the last two years.
There has been mixed reaction from students and educationists to the government move. While a section of them supports the idea as it would help them catch up with the lost studies, another group holds that it was not feasible considering very high temperature and heatwave during the summer.
An educationist said instead of forcing the students to come to schools in peak of summer, the government should take steps to identify those who have not been able to continue their studies during online classes and impart education in normal school hours.
At a time when the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) is advising people not to step outside from 11 am to 3 pm due to the heat, how can children go to schools most of which do not have power and water supply, a local TV channel quoted Krushna Chandra Pati, president of Utkal Abhibhabak Sangha, as saying.
