Hyderabad: Extended break irks schools, colleges

Hyderabad: While educationists oppose extending holidays due to the RTC strike, the school education department will enforce the government order to keep schools closed, threatening cancellation of school recognition to those that disobey. Nonetheless some private schools and colleges have asked students to attend classes from Monday.

The Ranga Reddy District Education Office said: “If any private school managements deviate from rules and disobey orders of enforcement, then their school recognition would be cancelled.”

Educationists were critical. “Education and health are important and the government should not link them with other issues. Today it’s the RTC strike, tomorrow it might be som-ething else. How can scho-ols remain closed through? They are compensating it with Saturdays, but those days are already designated for other activities. It’s not a solution,” said academician Anjali Razdan.

Schools are messaging parents to send students to school and teachers are being warned with loss of pay in case of absence. Other institutes are running school behind closed doors for 9th and 10th class students. A few have asked students to come in casual dress.

Several colleges have dec-ided to start classes from Monday as mid-term exa-ms are scheduled. A message from the Sreenidhi Institute of Engineering College said that this was in the interest of students. “The faculty is sacrificing in this regard,” said SIEC. “All parents are requested to ask their wards to attend classes as per schedule, fourth year first semester exams will be conducted as planned, from October 14.”

The institute told students it would provide tra-nsportation to those coming from Uppal and ECIL. Students on the other hand say that reaching those points from other areas in the absence of buses would be difficult. Many schools and colleges have nonetheless declared holiday with messages to parents that they would reopen on October 21. But TS welfare residential schools would be conducting classes as most students have returned to the institute.