Assam's Kamrup Metropolitan, Cachar districts changed school timings due to 'heatwave'

NEW DELHI: School timings in Assam's Kamrup Metropolitan and Cachar districts are being adjusted due to the ongoing 'heatwave', with classes set to start at 7:30 am, according to official orders issued on Friday. The new timings will take effect from Saturday and will remain in place until further notice. In both the districts, schools hours will start at 7.30 am and get over before or at 12.30 pm, the notice said, adding it will be applicable for all state government, central government and private schools.

Heads of institutions are required to conduct morning assemblies inside classrooms, ensure students have access to sufficient drinking water, and provide adequate water facilities. Additionally, students are advised against wearing waistcoats or ties, and schools must ensure that all fans are functional, classrooms are well-ventilated, and alternate power sources are available in case of outages, it added.

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Health measures implemented

The order for Kamrup Metropolitan district was issued by the office of the district elementary education officer-cum-district mission coordination, Sarba Siksha Abhijan, Assam, in consultation with the district commissioner, Kamrup Metropolitan. Cachar district magistrate Mridul Yadav, in his order, said "preventive measures have been put in place to ensure the health and well-being of students amidst the current heatwave".

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Guwahati, the maximum temperature in the city on Friday reached 38 degrees Celsius, 5.6 degrees above normal for this time of year, while the minimum was recorded at 27 degrees Celsius. In Silchar, the maximum temperature was 38.2 degrees Celsius, 5 degrees above normal, with a minimum of 28.2 degrees Celsius, 3 degrees higher than usual.