Confusion over first day of school

Last-minute GR extends date by 2 days to Jun 15, leaving schools, parents puzzled

Confusion over first day of school

Last-minute GR extends date by 2 days to Jun 15, leaving schools, parents puzzled

Principals of private aided schools across the city are an upset lot. Just days before schools were to reopen, a government resolution (GR) issued by the state education department has forced them to delay it by two days and resulted in chaos. Many parents are also upset. Earlier schools were to reopen on June 13, which is the second Monday of the month. The GR issued a few days ago says that all schools shall uniformly open on the same day, that is June 15. Lily Patel, principal of Sardar Dastur Boys School, which was earlier scheduled to reopen on June 13, said that she had postponed the opening as she did not want any trouble.

"We will put up a notice board outside the school to inform of the change. Some parents might turn up (on June 13), but it can't be helped as rules have to be followed. What we would have liked is the notification coming in advance so that we could inform parents and plan our activities accordingly. We thought Monday is a good day to start and it is the usual practice too; this sudden change will upset the schedule a bit," said Patel.
Meena Chandavarkar, managing director of New India School, said that the GR did not apply to her school as it was unaided, but said she was aware of the situation.

"It is not such a big thing, but what is the harm in planning in advance? Teachers' schedules, orientation programmes, et cetera, have to be planned accordingly," she said. Leena Chaudhuri, principal of Symbiosis School, which is aided, said that her school would open on June 13. "According to me, the GR says that schools should open by June 15. For schools that open before that, there is no problem. It is only schools that will open later that can face problems," she said. Primary education officer M R Kadam clarified that the GR meant that schools should uniformly open on June 15. "Neither before nor after June 15 is what it clearly says," he said.

Non-availability of textbooks behind GR?
Zilla Parishad sources said the real reason behind the postponement of the date for the reopening was that the education board was yet to provide the free books it is supposed to give out to students. "Under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, children are supposed to be provided study material free of cost. But so far, education officials have been unable to do so," said a source.