School kids got a Diwali bonanza in the form of a surprise three-day holiday after the district administration declared Monday as a
holiday. However, the late decision to declare a holiday meant many children, particularly those in private and non-state board schools, went to attend classes as usual only to be turned back from the gates.
The problem arose due to the failure of the administration and the education department officials in conveying the closure message to all the schools. Many of the private schools had terminal examinations scheduled and they conducted them behind closed doors, some parents reported.
Education officer Mahesh Karajgaonkar told TOI that some institutes did go ahead with the tests and then allowed the students to go, but more or less 99% schools were closed. "Not only schools, we had also directed the closure of junior colleges as well as diploma in education (DEd) colleges coming under our jurisdiction on Monday and Tuesday," he said.
He added that even if a school decides to function on these days, it was practically impossible for them to do so since the majority of their teachers were engaged in poll related duties. "Nagpur has 12 constituencies and we require thousands of staff for smooth conduct of the entire poll process. We presently have 22,000 persons, most of them teachers working on election duties. However, this strength is also short," he said.
Deliberating on the problems faced by administration, the education officer said as per Election Commission of India directives, every booth should have at least four persons, including the micro-observer, and hence their requirement is huge.
TOI had reported that Monday's vacation had not been announced in advance and many schools were confused about the exact status. Many schools received the communication regarding the holiday very late and then sent kids back in the morning, inconveniencing many parents.