Schools call off winter vacations

Hyderabad: Extension of Bathukamma and Bonalu holidays in October this year has forced many CBSE schools to cancel Christmas holidays, leaving parents fuming.

Schools blamed the extension of holidays saying it had affected the academic calendar and they needed to make up for the loss of working days.

Many schools sent notices to parents informing of the cancellation of holidays.

The parents are now upset at the sudden cancellation. Even the Sankranti break may be restricted though some schools are allowing a weeklong holiday.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had announced in September this year that Sankranti holidays would be curtailed.

The Dasara break was extended on account of Bathukamma and Bonalu, which are state festivals.

Even CBSE schools remained closed according to the holiday regime announced by the TRS government. Now, however, the cascading affect is seen on the Christmas holidays.

The CBSE academic calendar gives a two-week break for Christmas but no CBSE school in Hyderabad will have this luxury.

“The Bathukamma-Bonalu festival extension has cost us dearly. The whole academic year has been disturbed. We have no choice but to cancel Christmas holidays because we have to finish the syllabus,” the principal of a CBSE school said.

Dr D. Usha Reddy, former chairperson of Hyderabad Sahodaya Schools Comp-lex, said, “There is no uniform rule as to who should declare holidays when. Every school does it as per its own requirement.”

Parents are a confused lot. Md Talib Hussain, a parent, said “It is not fair to cancel an entire week or two saying the syllabus can’t be completed? They should have informed us earlier.”