Mumbai: In the wake of the rising demands from teachers’ in the state, schools education minister Varsha Gaikwad has declared Diwali break in schools from tomorrow. The Diwali vacation for this year will be from November 7 to November 20. Earlier, the education department announced that the Diwali vacation for schools has been cut down to five days as opposed to the usual 21 days. The state school education department had declared the Diwali break from November 12 to November 15. However, the decision received a negative response by teachers as they did not receive the entitled holidays during summer and Ganesh Chaturthi festival either, due to the online classes. Considering the demand of the teachers and students, Gaikwad on Friday extended Diwali vacations to 14 days for students.
Schools are instructed not to conduct online lectures or examinations during the Diwali break. Earlier, Varsha Gaikwad on Thursday said that board exams for classes 10 and 12 are not possible before May. She further said that the state is mulling to open schools and colleges for classes 9 to 12 immediately after Diwali. The classes for students will be held either in two sessions or on alternate days. This would help in maintaining social distancing amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Gaikwad said schools for classes 1 to 8 would not be opened immediately. The state government is expected to issue an SOP for schools and colleges on the lines of the ones issued for teachers, for whom 50% attendance has been made mandatory.
