Bhubaneswar, April 20: The state government's decision to shut schools because of the prevalent heatwave condition has led to apprehensions over timely completion of the course, particularly for high school students.

With temperatures hovering around the 45°C mark and the Met department predicting heatwave conditions for at least three more days from tomorrow, the state government yesterday extended the holidays till April 26. The schools were earlier directed to remain closed till April 20.

While most schools have adhered to the order, some private schools in the city continue to run. They argue that they have the requisite infrastructure to counter the heat.

Many schools are concerned that the abrupt closing of schools will affect classes, especially in high schools, which follow a specific academic calendar with days set aside for theory and practical classes.

"Such practices would force the students to go for private tuitions," said Suratna Rath, a parent. "The government should try alternative solutions, including night classes, to tide over these situation," Rath added.

"The extended summer holiday is definitely a solace for parents and teachers like us. We support the government's decision because, for us, the health of our students remains the primary concern. Problems will arise when the school reopens. We will get almost a month less to complete the syllabus, which we will eventually have to complete in a hurry," said a teacher from Sai International School that has been kept open for optional remedial and doubt-clearance classes for the senior students.

"The sun had made our days in school really tiring. By the time we reached home, we were almost drained of all energy. We are happy that we do not have to go out in the sun anymore. At the same time, being in the higher classes, we understand the value of attending classes and finishing our syllabus early so that we have time to revise," said Abhinas Mishra, a Class XII student of the school.

The KIIT International School has not declared early holidays. The authorities claimed that being a residential school, most of the students were already living on the campus.

"We understand that it is not possible to open all the schools because of the heat. It would be dangerous to run classes in government schools with more than 100 students in a single class with no amenities - not even a fan. However, we have students from different countries and it would be difficult to send them to their homes every time there is a heatwave," said KIIT International School principal Sanjay Suar.