Hyderabad rains: Schools have parents guessing

HYDERABAD: Many parents were left wondering whether or not to send their children to school on Tuesday morning. Though heavy rains lashed Hyderabad on Monday night, the Telangana Government did not declare an official holiday for schools and colleges. 

Adding to the confusion, a message stating that schools and government offices were closed due to the heavy downpour was circulated over WhatsApp early on Tuesday morning. The message falsely claimed to have been issued by the government.

An official of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) confirms that no such message was sent out by the state government.

Some news channels also publicised the message. Later in the day, the Chief Minister’s office issued a message stating that a holiday has not been declared for government staff.

Early on October 3, at around 5.30 am, some schools such as Mount Litera Zee School, DPS Nacharam, and Silver Oaks sent out messages saying that the Dasara holidays were being extended because of the heavy rainfall in Hyderabad. The schools were scheduled to reopen on Tuesday. 

Arvinda Jata, a parent from Attapur, says, “Parents and children were taken for a ride on Tuesday morning. Even after being advised to remain closed by the education department, schools in the city did not announce a holiday. This caused a lot of inconvenience to parents and children.”