WB: Teachers' Association urges Mamata Banerjee to reconsider summer vacation decision

A primary teachers' association in West Bengal has asked CM Mamata Banerjee to reconsider her decision of early summer vacation for schools.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said to start summer vacation early, from May 2, due to prevailing heat wave conditions and also increasing Covid-19 cases. The schools had reopened in mid February 2022 after two years of closure during Covid-19 pandemic. Reportedly, a primary teachers' association in West Bengal has asked Mamata Banerjee to reconsider her decision of early summer vacation for schools.

As per the teachers' association, the long summer break will affect the school-going habit of students who had suffered a setback during two years of the Covid-19 pandemic when the students attended only online classes, as reported by NDTV.

General secretary of Bengal Primary Teachers Association Ananda Handa said Odisha announced only five days break for the same reason. 

The met office has forecast rains in the first week of May in southern parts of the state and north Bengal is experiencing rain and thunderstorm regularly for the past 15 days, Handa said. 

"Both the teachers and guardians are worried over the decision of the state government to clamp a 45-day vacation which was done in haste. As in-person classes had only commenced on February 16 after a long gap of two years, this 45-day break will severely affect the interest in studies among children,” he added.

West Bengal should opt for special vacation, says teachers' association

He said that instead of the long summer vacation, the state government should opt for a special vacation of one week or keeping the school open for two hours daily. The association also said that the state government had not consulted academics or experts before taking the decision which was “ill-conceived”.

"Such a decision will only erode public confidence in state schools, make the general public sceptical about the state education sector and pave the way for privatisation of the sector through PPP model," said the association.

Read more:

• Why WB schools to have long summer vacations, asks Subhas Sarkar
• Punjab govt declares summer vacation in all schools from May 14