Nagpur: District collector Kumar Ashirwad declared a holiday for Saturday, mandating all schools, colleges and coaching institutes in Nagpur to remain shut, citing a yellow alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). On Friday, TOI carried a report on students facing scorching heat as the ongoing academic session forced them to travel even as the mercury stayed above 40°C in the city.But parents flayed the decision, saying it’s a stop-gap arrangement, at a time when authorities should be looking at a permanent solution. The collector’s order itself says that there is a need to protect students’ health, which parents say needs to continue beyond Saturday.Chetna Joshi, mother of a Class 7 student, said, “Although the school has started with a half-day for students, the heat is unbearable at that time of the day. This holiday is extremely necessary but more needs to be done.”Kanchan Tiwari, mother of a Class 5 student, captured the frustration of many parents. “Children are suffering from severe drowsiness and weakness due to the intense heat. We push them to attend out of fear they will fall behind academically, but seeing their exhausted condition upon returning home is heartbreaking. Since Nagpur’s temperatures will only continue to rise, a single-day holiday is completely insufficient,” she said.Anuradha Thakur, mother of a Class 4 student, said, “How can one day leave will be enough? The children will be greatly affected by the heatwave. The session should be wound up by the second week of April to protect the children from the summer heat,” said Thakur.Nikita Jain, mother of a Class 7 student, was blunt about accountability. “Children commute home during peak heatwaves, yet there is so much lack of concern for their safety. Who will be held accountable if a student falls ill? I think the schools must remain closed throughout the summer unless there is an absolute emergency, particularly for younger students up to Class 7,” she said.Kanchan Artani, mother of a Class 10 student, said schools that stay open must provide coolers in classrooms.Some parents demanded structural changes rather than reactive holidays. Harshada Deshpande, mother of a Class 9 student, said schools should shift timings from the traditional 8am-12pm slot to 7am-11am. “This way, the kids get home before the heat increases,” she said.While students will have a holiday, staff have to report for duty. Deepali Dably, president of CBSE Staff Welfare Association (CSWA) said, “Is there some medical study which says that staff cannot be impacted by heatwave? So why are teachers and other staff members being forced to come to school when there are no academics taking place?”(With inputs by Soumya Dubey & Dewaki Moharil)
