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Ludhiana: Biting cold affects kids’ attendance, change in school timings sought
Many parents are reluctant to send their children to school, citing safety concerns and health risks; Charanjeet Kaur Ahuja, principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Cemetery Road, said teachers urged parents to send their children to school, especially as pre-board exams for board classes begin on January 18
The prevailing weather conditions in Ludhiana, including cold spells and predicted dense fog, have affected students’ attendance in district government schools, with teachers attributing the issue to the early start times for double-shift institutions. Many parents are reluctant to send their children to school, citing safety concerns and health risks.
Charanjeet Kaur Ahuja, principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Cemetery Road, said teachers urged parents to send their children to school, especially as pre-board exams for board classes begin on January 18. “We cannot afford for students to miss their classes, as it could affect their results. However, many parents requested to change school timings,” she said.
Students also felt the brunt of the harsh weather. A Class-5 student from a government school described the challenges, saying, “My hands turn numb in the cold. With school starting at 7.30am, I can hardly see anything due to the fog. Many of my classmates are also falling ill because of these extreme conditions.”
The Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) has raised alarms over the situation. District president Daljit Singh Samrala criticised the government’s inaction, stating, “Attendance in government schools is less than 50%. The government is ignoring the accidents caused by fog and the illnesses affecting children due to the cold. Timings must be changed, or attendance will drop further.”
Some private schools have already made adjustments. The city CBSE coordinator and principal of Nankana Sahib Public School, Harmeet Waraich, shared that their school has delayed class timings from 8.45am to 9.30am for most students and has suspended kindergarten classes temporarily.
The situation is particularly dire in rural areas, where attendance in primary schools has dropped to around 40%, according to DTF district vice-president Davinder Singh Sidhu. Parents are unwilling to send their children to school under such harsh weather conditions.
Calls for change have reached higher authorities. Representatives of the Lecturer Cadre Union wrote to Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains on January 6, urging a shift in government school timings to 10am to 3pm instead of the current 9am to 3.20pm schedule for single shift schools. On Thursday, the Punjab State Commission for Protection of Child Rights also requested the chief secretary of the school education department to adjust school hours.
Meanwhile, district education officer (Elementary) Ravinder Kaur confirmed that there has been no official communication from higher authorities regarding a change in school timings.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Friday’s maximum temperature in the district was 13.6°C, significantly lower than the normal 17.9°C, while the minimum dropped to 5.6°C, indicating a cold wave.
With no official directive yet, the ongoing weather conditions continue to impact attendance, sparking growing concern among parents, teachers, and education advocates.
