School summer vacation schedule unlikely to change in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: In response to mounting pressure to move summer vacation to May, School & Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash indicated on Friday that the department might reconsider its decision if necessary.

"We've heard requests from a variety of sources to move the summer vacation forward. In light of the situation, the department will make an appropriate decision. COVID is now not a threat, thus holding Class X and XII exams will not be a problem," he stated.

Because of the rising temperatures, parents and teachers have asked the state government to move the summer break to May rather than June, when the monsoon is expected to arrive.

The parents also said that the state's warmth had transformed it into a boiling pot, making it extremely dangerous for children to return from school around midday, despite morning classes.

To ensure that classes continue despite the heat wave sweeping the state, the department announced morning classes from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. from May 1 to June 5, when the new academic session will begin with a full syllabus. For Class IX and X, the department has also decided to reinstate the single-exam format and practical exams.

Notably, the decision to shorten the summer break was made after a baseline evaluation found that more than 40% of pupils in Odisha's upper primary schools received less than 20% in Odia, Mathematics, and English.