As signs of summer such as a rise in daytime temperature make their appearance, the demand to reschedule the summer vacation of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) in the State is gaining momentum.
KV Parents’ Association State unit president Jacob Antony says changing the summer vacation schedule is crucial for students in the State. He says the KV authorities have agreed to conduct a referendum next week among parents in the State to reschedule the summer holidays. The association would press for rescheduling if the referendum fails to bring about a change, he says.
The Palakkad unit of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Parents Association (KVPA) has approached the Deputy Commissioner of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan in Kochi seeking to implement a change in the summer vacation schedule as directed by the Kerala State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) a few months ago. It was after the parents’ body approached the SHRC that it ordered the KV Sangathan to reschedule the summer vacation in Kerala. But, no step has been taken in this regard so far.
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In north India, the peak summer is towards the end of May and in June and hence holidays at this time help the children there.
Peak summer
“But in Kerala, the weather pattern is entirely different. Here, the peak summer is during the two months of April and May and the southwest monsoon begins in June. All other schools in the State remain closed in April and May,” E. Jayachandran, district coordinator of the KVPA, says.
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“Every summer, the temperature goes up to 45 degrees Celsius in Palakkad. The State government issues circulars restricting outdoor activities between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. during the summer months here. Plenty of sunburn cases are also reported,” Mr. Jayachandran says.
“As parents, we find it difficult to keep the children fit when they go to school during this period. They face problems such as dehydration, giddiness, urinary infection, and other summer-related diseases. Therefore, the practice of reopening the schools in April should be changed in the interest of the students,” V. Narayanan, a parent, says.
Hafeez A.H., a parent in Thiruvananthapuram, says the change in schedule is essential given the rising temperature.