School managements demand extension in winter holidays

Karachi: The Private Schools Management Association (PSMA) has written a letter to the education department demanding an extension in holidays because of the drop in temperature in the province following the recent incantation of winter rain.

The letter sent by the PSMA said that the 2-day continuous rains have increased the intensity of coldness.

The chairperson of PSMA Sharafuz Zaman told the media sources that there is a high chance that residents of the city will suffer from some illnesses because of the piles of garbage and filled sewerage lines. 

The students are getting sick because of the sudden increase in the cold and many of them will not be able to attend school, said Sharafuz Zaman.

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Except school associations, MPA of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khurram Sher Zaman has moved a resolution in the Sindh Assembly to announce school holidays because it is quite difficult for children to go to schools in this cold weather.

The resolution says that the education minister should take some step to announce 2 week vacations in all the schools in Karachi.

“Taking in consideration the changing weather if not 2 weeks, then at least one week or a 10-day vacation should be given in schools,” he added.

On the other hand, education minister Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar said that the temperature increased on Sunday and will continue to increase, that’s why there is no need for vacations.

The same children who were soaking in the rain without their sweaters are now having issues attending school, he added.

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Further, he pointed out that the government and steering committee must consider the changes in the schedule of vacations because winters in Karachi arrive in January and not in December.  The matter of changing the schedule of holidays will be put forward in the upcoming steering committee meeting, which would be organized by the end of January, said PSMA chairperson.

There is a need to change the schedule of vacations in both the summer as well as winter because May is comparatively hotter as compared to June or July, he added.