Nagpur Collector Caps School Timings Amid Severe Heatwave Nagpur: Following persistent advocacy by The Times of India (TOI) highlighting the lack of action on school timings during a severe heatwave, the Nagpur district collector’s office issued an order on Tuesday to cap school hours at 10:30 am. This directive applies to all schools, regardless of their educational board affiliations. Education department officials warned that schools failing to comply with the guidelines will face consequences. The decision came hours after TOI reported that Nagpur schools continued with regular timings despite temperatures exceeding 44 degrees Celsius on certain days. In contrast, Chandrapur district collector Vasumana Pant had already ordered schools to close by 11 am once temperatures surpassed 44 degrees. Zafar Khan, a senior academic, praised the collector’s decision as a positive step for students but emphasized the need for an annual, well-planned adjustment to avoid disruptions to academic schedules. Schools welcomed the order, though concerns were raised about its impact on learning. Vipin Taksale, director of St Paul International School, noted that while shorter hours provide relief, they risk leaving the syllabus incomplete. He questioned the feasibility of half-hour classes and the need for tiffin breaks, suggesting the curtailed timing would apply only for the remaining days of April. Parents expressed frustration, arguing that the shortened hours would not allow meaningful learning. Rahul Srivastava, a parent, criticized the government for not declaring holidays, stating that three hours of schooling offers little educational value. He suggested shifting to online classes, as was done during the pandemic, to mitigate the heat’s impact.#times_of_india #nagpur_collector #chandrapur_district_collector #zafar_khan #vinita_bower
