Reopen schools after some days, parents urge TS education minister Sabitha

HYDERABAD: With schools set to reopen on Monday, parents are growing increasingly weary of sending their wards to school in the scorching heat. With temperatures remaining high, parents and parents associations have appealed to the Department of school education to defer the reopening by a few days.

Rima B. Kurrela, a parent, said that after speaking with other parents and approaching the school management they had made no progress on this front. "They said they would look into it by taking this concern to their 'higher-ups' but we're yet to receive any update about it," she said.

Vikas Malle, a parent, said that if the schools reopen as scheduled, they might wait until a week to send their child. "My daughter just entered middle school and was brushed up about basics during the holidays. So I don't think she'll miss much in the first couple of days where things are yet to fall in place. Her health is my priority," he told Deccan Chronicle.

"The projected temperature for the next two weeks is going to be around 40ºC, making it extremely unsafe for sending kids to school. We appealed to education minister Sabitha Indra Reddy to extend the summer holidays by another two weeks to keep our children safe and healthy," said Sohail Hussain, a member of the Telangana Parents Association for Child Rights and Safety.

Maanikya V., a teacher in a private school, said that unless otherwise informed by the deputy education officer, the school will reopen as scheduled.

"We understand the parents' fear and have assured them of proper care of their children via a circular we sent to them. Even then, sending their child to school is still their prerogative. No student will be reprimanded for their absence," she said.

Meanwhile, some schools have sent circulars to parents saying the child will have only half-a-day school until a week but most parents aren't satisfied.