Gujarat govt drops Navratri vacation for schools

Following opposition from self-financed schools, the state government on Thursday cancelled the eight-day Navratri vacation which was introduced last year. The government had then said the decision was taken in compliance with "popular demand".

The additional holidays were adjusted against the annual Diwali vacation, but as many as 400 private schools in Surat district alone defied the government order with teachers saying they found it hard to complete the curriculum and that this would affect students adversely. Many educational institutions that come under the purview of the Gujarat State Education Board also raised petitions against it.

After taking into consideration the views of the management of several schools, the state took the decision to scrap the holiday in the cabinet meeting held on Thursday. "After intense deliberation and in the wake of representations received from various quarters, the state cabinet, under the leadership of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, decided not to give Navratri vacation," State education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said. Welcoming the decision, schools are now demanding an extension of the summer vacation, keeping in mind the heat wave that has seared the state. They should extend it by a week," said Anisha Shaikh, principal of FD High School for Girls.

Dipak Rajyaguru, president of the Federation of Self- Financed Schools in Gujarat said the vacation was not needed in the first place.

The idea of a vacation for the festival marked by late-night revelry was first mooted in 1995 when the Bharatiya Janata Party came into power in the state. Even then, schools protested it saying it disturbed the academic schedule and the government had to backtrack.

No Jiggy With It

• As many as 400 private schools in Surat district stayed open during the festival
• Some schools are now demanding that summer vacations be extended, considering the heatwave

— With agency inputs