Patna schools to curtail festival holidays for timely completion of syllabus
PATNA: As Durga Puja celebration has been scaled down, several private schools in the city have decided to curtail festival holidays including Durga Puja, Diwali, Chhath and winter vacation, in a bid to complete syllabus on time in the absence of regular classes.
Several schools said that a good number of working days remained underutilised in the current academic session owing to new normal adjustment and resorting to online classes. Thus, academic loss will be compensated through shorter festival holidays.
Ravi Ranjan Sinha, principal of Baldwin Academy and city coordinator of CBSE, said, “We will have only four-day holiday for senior students this Durga Puja. We are also in a plan to reduce Diwali and Chhath holidays so that syllabus can be completed on time followed by revision and test before final exam.”
Umesh Kumar, a senior mathematics teacher, said, “Though education boards have reduced syllabus but the deleted portion has already been taught in the absence of timely information. Now, we have to teach fresh topics to students”
Several convent schools, which have around two-week holidays during Christmas and winter vacation have also planned to cut short vacation.
“We are mulling to reduce Christmas holiday by 50% for senior and senior secondary students. We will not have combined holidays for Diwali to Chhath rather online classes will be conducted in between the two festivals to carry out academic activities”, said an official of St Dominic Savio’s High School.
However, curtailment of holidays has exerted additional pressure on school teachers who are facing 50% salary cut since March despite long working hours.
Seema Pandey (45), a high school teacher, said, “It’s eighth month now and I am getting half salary. School management is not compromising with working hours, in fact, we are working double in the name of ‘work from home’. Now, working days have been increased without any compensation. It’s unfair with private school teachers.”
PU postpones exams due to polls
Patna University of Monday called off annual year examination of BA, BSc and Bcom part II and LLB semester VI exam which was scheduled from October 22 to November 10.
PU’s controller of examination RK Mandal said, “Exams have been cancelled in view of state assembly elections. Fresh exam dates will be notified shortly.”
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