Schools in MMR confused when to reopen after Diwali vacations

In the absence of an official date from the state education department for reopening schools after Diwali, most schools in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) have

In the absence of an official date from the state education department for reopening schools after Diwali, most schools in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) have planned vacations according to their convenience.

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Despite repeated attempts, Rajendra Ahire, deputy director of education, did not respond to calls or messages. An official from the education department said that schools can schedule their day of reopening as per their convenience as long as they stick to the all-year limit for holidays — 76 days.

“There was a government resolution issued at the beginning of the academic year that stated that Diwali vacations would begin from October 21. However, there was no date for reopening. Since October 21 was voting day [for the state Assembly elections], our school began vacations from October 19. We will reopen on November 7 as per that,” said Sudam Kumbhar, principal, Shailendra High School, Dahisar.

With teachers and non-teaching staff on election duty, several schools decided to give an early vacation to students this time. First-term exams, which were supposed to be held in the last week of October, were also rescheduled to the second week of this month. “We were hoping to get some directions from the education department but did not get any. Hence, we have made our own schedule. The issue, however, is that all schools have their own timetables which can be a problem, especially for people who have two children studying in different schools,” said another principal.