Open-and-shut dilemma for schools
MUMBAI: School-goers and their parents, who spent an utterly confusing day on Monday figuring out whether school was on or off, may be staring at another day of madness on Tuesday.
The state school education department issued a directive on Monday, asking schools to use their “discretion”while deciding on whether to stay open or closed, and repeated the same dictum when schools asked them what to do on Tuesday.
Faced with a government not willing to commit itself, many schools took the safe option out. The Archdiocesan Board of Education (ABE), which runs over 60 schools across the city, kept all its schools shut. “We did not want to take any chance as it was raining heavily,”ABE secretary Father Gregory Lobo said.
“We declared a holiday, too,”Podar International (Santa Cruz) principal Vandana Lulla said. “We are advising parents to check our website for updates and will keep meteorological department predictions in mind before taking any decision,”she added. Several other schools, including Bombay Scottish High School, JB Vaccha High School and Palm Beach School, acted similarly.
But many saw no reason to close down. “We held regular classes but did not have any extra-curricular activity,”Cathedral and John Connan High School (Fort) principal Meera Isaacs said, adding the school was in touch with the BMC. “School buses were running,”she said, adding there was no drop in attendance and teachers came from even Vashi.
GD Somani School, too, remained open till 2 pm. “Everyone was comfortable as school buses were running,”principal M P Sharma said. But, with some schools working and some not, parents were a confused lot.
“We were told by the school that it would remain open for the day. Later we were told that parents could take a call on sending children. And, finally, we were told that the school would be shut,”south Mumbai parent Jehangir Gai said.
Other schools took a middle route. “We declared a holiday for the afternoon session though children came and there was no problem during the morning session,”Children’s Academy (Kandivli) vice-principal Sheela Mallya said.
URL- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1702864.cms