Several schools have decided to start classes late from the next week taking into account the dipping temperature.

Patna Central School, Krishna Niketan and Radiant International School have decided to delay classes by anywhere between 30 minutes and one-hour-and-fifteen minutes. Some schools have already done the same.

Glenda Galstaun, the principal of St Dominic Savio’s High School, said: “We changed the timing after Chhath.”

Radhika K., the vice-principal of Radiant International School, said: “Our school timing will change from Monday. Till this week, the school started at 6.50am. From next week, classes will start at 7.20am. We have not delayed the timing much because we are assuming that it would have to be delayed further according to the district administration’s instructions.”

The vice-principal of Patna Central School, O.P. Singh, said the classes would start at 9am instead of 8am from next week. Krishna Niketan would also start late from next week. Classes would start there at 8am instead of 6.45am from the next Monday.

The decision of the schools would come as a big relief for the students and their parents. Amar Kumar, whose son goes to a reputable school, said: “It was too tough to wake up early in the morning to drop my child at the bus stop. Now that the school timing has been changed, we shall get some more time to sleep.”

Another parent, Rajni Kumari, said: “I have to wake up around 5 in the morning because I have to prepare food for my child. It was too difficult. Now that the school has delayed the start by half-an-hour, I shall get some relief. My child will also get some more time to sleep.”

A few schools like St Joseph’s Convent High School have not yet changed the timing, though. The school’s principal, sister Lucina, said: “Our school does not start very early. Therefore, we are not changing the timings.”

Strict norms

The Central Board of Secondary Education has made recommendations about students’ attendance, attention in class and online education that it will implement soon. The recommendations were made at the three-day 20th annual conference of Sahodaya Schools at Amritsar that concluded on November 10.

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) chairman Vineet Joshi said: “It should be ensured that Class X and Class XII students attend classes regularly. It is not just up to the students to ensure attendance and attention to studies, schools too should ensure their time is not wasted. If not done, action would be taken against both the schools and students.”

Almost 900 school principals and members of CBSE-affiliated Sahodaya Schools attended the event. A Sahodaya School is normally formed when a city has over 10 CBSE-affiliated schools.