CM announces summer vacation in all schools from April 27, week ahead of usual schedule

Bhubaneswar: Summer vacations in all govt, govt-aided and private schools across the state are set to begin from April 27, nearly a week ahead of their schedule, amid severe heatwave in Odisha and its impact on children, CM Mohan Charan Majhi announced on Friday. Usually, the summer vacations in Odisha schools start from May first or second week, reopening in mid-June.The school and mass education department submitted a proposal to advance the vacation, which was approved by the chief minister, keeping the safety of children in mind.An official statement from the chief minister’s office said that pre-scheduled examinations, census work and other office-related activities would continue as planned.Earlier on Thursday, a review meeting was held by the special relief commissioner with the officials of the school and mass education, and revenue and disaster management departments to assess the heatwave situation and decide on the vacation schedule.“The early closure of schools is expected to bring relief to students and parents as Odisha continues to reel under harsh summer conditions,” said an official of the school and mass education department.On Thursday, temperatures crossed 40 degrees Celsius at 24 places in the state, including Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The hot and humid conditions persisted in the twin cities on Friday as well, with the weather department continuing to warn of intense heat in several districts.Earlier, the state govt authorised district collectors to take decisions on the opening and closure of schools, depending on local weather conditions. Following that, several collectors already ordered closure of schools in their respective districts.In previous years too, the state advanced the vacation because of extreme summer conditions. Last year, the vacation began on April 23, while in 2024, it started on April 25.The higher education department has not yet issued any notification regarding summer vacation for colleges and universities.