Blurb
Dakshina Kannada, which has declared the highest number of rain holidays in Karnataka this monsoon, is likely to introduce a taluk-wise system for announcing school and college holidays instead of imposing district-wide closures. CH NEWS
MANGALURU
The move is being considered after repeated complaints that rain forecasts issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) did not match the actual weather conditions across the district, resulting in unnecessary disruption to academic activities.
This year, seven rain holidays were declared in the district. However, weather conditions were not uniform across all taluks. While some areas experienced heavy rainfall, several others recorded only normal showers.
Despite this, holidays were declared across the entire district, drawing criticism from educational institutions and educationists, who argued that unnecessary closures affected teaching and learning. In view of these concerns, the district administration is seriously considering introducing a system under which rain holidays will be declared only in taluks facing hazardous weather conditions. The proposal is to base such decisions on reports submitted by local officials, including Tahsildars and Block Education Officers (BEOs).
Deputy Commissioner HV Darshan said, that whenever the IMD issues a weather alert, the safety of children remains the administration’s top priority. He stated that while education is important, children’s lives are equally precious. At the same time, he said the administration intends to implement a taluk-wise holiday system in the future.
The district administration had earlier issued notices to 10 schools and colleges for conducting classes despite the declaration of rain holidays. The institutions have since submitted apology letters and given written assurances that they will comply with government directions in the future.
Officials concerned have been instructed to initiate action against such institutions. According to institutions, repeated holidays are delaying completion of the syllabus, disrupting examination schedules, forcing students in residential schools to remain in hostels for extended periods, and causing inconvenience to students and parents from outside the district.
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The IMD’s forecasts have often failed to reflect actual local weather conditions, resulting in district-wide holidays even when there was little or no rain in many areas. He said such decisions adversely affect students’ education and urged the district administration and the government to declare holidays based on weather conditions at the taluk or regional level rather than for the entire district.
- SL Bhojegowda, MLC