BHUBANESWAR: After the state government announced holidays in view of the severe heatwave from April 26 to 30, several private schools in the city have resumed online classes.
“Due to severe heatwave-like conditions in the state, schools in Odisha have been closed but online classes continue to compensate for the learning losses in the Covid years. Covid has taught us that learning should continue despite unfavourable weather conditions. And as the ethos of SAI goes, our children never stop learning, hence the online classes,” said Nilakantha Panigrahi, principal, SAI International School.
Parents said that online or hybrid classes offered much-needed comfort to children from the sweltering heat, and help them recover the learning losses.
“As many as 50 children sitting in the classroom under one fan in this sweltering heat of around 43 degrees Celsius. If children feel suffocated and uneasy, how can they understand the lessons? Besides, travelling to school and returning in the blistering heat is quite exhausting,” said Shrabani Kar, parent of a class X student at Stuart School here that has resumed online classes.
“After a gap of two years children have started going to school. Now again if schools are closed then they will lose interest in studies. So it is better to have online classes than sitting idle at home,” said Sunanda Nanda, parent of a toddler at KIIT International School. Doctors also advised children not to get exposed to the heat, drink cold water and enter an air-conditioned room immediately after coming from outside.
