Himachal Pradesh: All primary, pre-primary schools shut in Una till May 25 amid heat wave

UNA: All government and private pre-primary and primary schools here will remain closed on May 24 and 25 following the heat wave, officials said on Thursday. This decision has been taken to protect children from the scorching heat, District Magistrate Jatin Lal said in an order.

Una was the hottest in the state, recording a maximum temperature of 41.4 degrees Celsius on Thursday. The local MeT department has issued a yellow warning for the heat waves in isolated, low areas from May 25 to 27. Lal said that there is a severe outbreak of heat wave in the district and incidents of school children falling ill in schools due to extreme heat are being reported.

At the same time, the Indian Meteorological Department has also expressed the possibility of a heat wave in the coming days. Keeping these circumstances in mind, it has been decided to keep all government and private primary and pre-primary schools in the district closed on May 24 and 25, he said.

According to the order, in the schools where examinations are scheduled, the exams would be held from 7 am to 11 am on Friday and Saturday. Instructions have also been given to provide all facilities like drinking water, fans, coolers or air conditioning in the examination halls of schools, the order said. The schools have also been asked to ensure the availability of first aid kits and a doctor or nurse for immediate treatment in case of heat stroke, it read.