Delhi: Winter vacations for primary schools extended till January 12
The announcement came hours after the government retracted an order extending the break till January 10.
The Delhi government has extended winter vacations for primary school students till January 12, state Minister of Education Atishi announced on Sunday.
Schools in Delhi will remain closed for the next 5 days due to the prevailing cold weather conditions, for students from Nursery to Class 5.
— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) January 7, 2024
This came hours after the Directorate of Education retracted its earlier order extending the winter break for all schools till January 10.
The state government had announced in December last year that schools would be closed on account of winter vacation for six days from January 1 to 6, reduced from the usual 15 days.
“In order to ensure that our students are not adversely affected due to the poor air quality in Delhi, a portion of winter vacation was observed from November 9 to November 18,” read a circular.
The recent order to extend the vacation comes as the national capital continues to reel under a cold and foggy spell. On Saturday, the maximum temperature in Delhi peaked at a low 15.2 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature settled at a biting 8.9 degrees Celsius.
The city recorded its lowest maximum temperature in two years on Thursday at 12.5 degrees Celsius, marking a “severe cold day”, which is when a location’s maximum temperature falls 6.5 degrees below the day’s normal measure.
The India Meteorological Department has forecasted that the mercury could rise on Sunday and Monday, thanks to an approaching western disturbance, reported the Hindustan Times. This weather system during winter months is characterised by an influx of warm, moist air over North India and is typically followed by cold and dry conditions. Delhi could also see light rains on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, schools in Noida and Greater Noida have been ordered not to hold classes for students in grades up to Class 8 till January 14 on account of the cold, reported The Indian Express. In the adjacent state of Haryana, schools will remain shut till January 15 while in Rajasthan students up to Class 8 have a break till January 13.