Delhi heatwave: Revise school timings or advance summer breaks, parents to govt

Amid the heatwave in the national capital , parents of the students have urged the Delhi government to either revise the school timings or advance the summer holidays.

With the mercury soaring across the national capital and the temperature in Delhi rising up to 46 degrees Celsius, parents claim that school timings are not feasible for students to step out in the scorching heat.

The parents have requested the Delhi government to either revise the school timings or advance the summer holidays. As the national capital grapples with the heatwave, parents are worried about the health of the children, prompting them to urge the Arvind Kejriwal government to change the school timings.

In view of the sweltering heat coupled with the ongoing spike in the number of Covid cases, several schools have already announced a reduction in outdoor activities.

Amid the intense heatwave across the country, the Central government had last week urged people to not step out in the sun especially between 12 noon and 3 pm. It had also asked people to avoid strenuous activities when outside in the afternoon, avoid alcohol, tea, coffee, or drinks with large amount of sugar, stating these may lead to loss of more body fluid or cause stomach cramps.

“On one side, the Centre advised not to go out in the sun, especially between 12 noon and 3 pm. But in Delhi, most of the school timings are between 8 am-2 pm.

"Students reach home by 3 pm. That means during peak summer hours, students are out in the sun, which is really dangerous. We request Delhi government to either revise the school timings like other states are doing or pre-pone summer holidays,” Aparajitha Gautam, President, Delhi Parents Association was quoted by PTI as saying.

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