No more walking in the afternoon sun for students in Ranchi and elsewhere, with classes slated to end by 11am from Saturday till further orders. Picture by Prashant Mitra

All schools in Ranchi will follow revised class schedules from Saturday in the wake of yet another oppressive summer that has seen 40-plus temperatures in most parts of the state.

In a late Thursday evening order, deputy commissioner Vinay Kumar Choubey asked cradles to restrict study hours between 6.30am and 11am till the Celsius, which recorded 38.3 degrees in the capital on Friday, took a comfortable plunge.

Under normal April-June routine, private schools remain open from 8am to 1.30pm, while those run by the state hold classes till 11.30am from 6.30am.

Confirming the directive, Choubey said most schools would close for their summer holidays by mid-May and the revised timings would remain effective at least till then. “Later, when classes resume, school authorities can continue following the schedule if the weather does not cool down by then,” he added.

Dhanbad too has tweaked school timings.

The district administration had on Thursday ordered primary cradles (nursery to Class III) to declare a holiday from Saturday till further orders, while senior school (Classes IV to XII) will function from 6.30am to 10.30am.

Currently, a majority of public schools run from 7am to noon. Most private and government schools in the coal district are also likely to close for summer vacation from May 15.

In Jamshedpur, many cradles had their last working day on Friday, while the rest will close for their summer vacations on Saturday. The schools will reopen on June 10.

Principal of DAV Public School in Bariatu, Ranchi, Divya Singh said they would adhere to the new rule to provide much-needed relief to students. “Our summer vacation starts from May 11. However, from tomorrow, we will change timings,” she said.

Singh, however, pointed out that closing school two hours early would take a toll on the syllabus.

Echoing her, St Thomas School principal Reverend Joseph J. Ayrookuzhy said they too would follow the summer schedule, but at the cost of their academic schedule. “As it is, we will close from May 11 (for summer vacation), so the time to finish syllabus before the next exam is limited. Let’s see what can be done,” he added.

Father Gerald Ravi d’Souza, the treasurer of De Nobili Group of Schools in Dhanbad, said they would follow orders though students from far-flung areas might face problems reaching their cradle on time.

Government cradles, on the other hand, have little to worry about.

“We won’t face much problem as far as the syllabus is concerned. We will only be cutting short classes by half an hour,” said Ajay Kumar, the principal of the government middle school in Nagri, on the outskirts of the capital. He added that their summer holidays were scheduled from May 17 to June 9.

Parents too are heaving a sigh of relief. “It is so hot outside. Waiting at the stop for the school bus is an ordeal. Children often complain of dizziness when they return home. Thank god, the timings are being tweaked,” said Minakshi Kartik, a resident of Bariatu.