Syllabus on Crunch: South Gujarat Schools To Use Saturdays, Special Classes To Cover Lost Teaching Time

Heavy rainfall and flooding in parts of south Gujarat have disrupted regular classes in several areas, prompting schools to adjust their academic schedules, even as the state Education Department focuses on ensuring that students complete the prescribed syllabus within the academic year.

Officials said schools in rain-affected districts have been given flexibility to make up for lost teaching time through additional classes, including on Saturdays, wherever required.

Education Department Prioritises Syllabus Completion

Milind Torawane, Principal Secretary of Gujarat's Education Department (Primary and Secondary Education), said the academic calendar provides for 220 working days in a year.

The available working days, after accounting for Sundays and scheduled summer and winter vacations, provide schools with sufficient scope to compensate for classes disrupted by extreme weather, he said.

Torawane clarified that the objective is to ensure completion of the prescribed curriculum rather than requiring schools to conduct classes on every holiday.

He also said there were no specific directions from the Government of India requiring schools to follow a particular method to compensate for weather-related disruptions. Schools and local administrations can instead take decisions based on conditions in their respective areas.

Schools Can Use Saturdays For Additional Classes

Valsad, one of the districts affected by heavy rainfall and flooding, saw temporary closure of schools in some areas.

Valsad Collector Nitin Sangwan said the disruption to schooling was not as extensive as some reports had suggested, but acknowledged that classes can be affected when authorities issue red alerts for extremely heavy rainfall.

Schools can use Saturdays, which are generally non-working days, to make up for lost instructional time, he said.

Both government and private schools can also conduct special classes where necessary to ensure that students complete the prescribed syllabus within the academic year.

District authorities may issue directions for additional classes depending on the situation on the ground, Sangwan said.

Replacement Textbooks Distributed

The floods have also affected students' learning materials, with some losing or damaging their textbooks.

Torawane said the Education Department had sought details of affected students from the districts and arranged replacement textbooks accordingly.

Students whose books were lost or damaged have been provided replacements, while the remaining books are also being distributed, he said.

The move is intended to ensure that students do not face further academic difficulties after returning to school.

South Gujarat Districts Hit By Heavy Rain

Navsari, Valsad and Surat are among the south Gujarat districts that have witnessed heavy rainfall in recent days, disrupting normal life in several areas.

The adverse weather has led to flooding, evacuations and rain-related deaths in parts of the region, while schools in affected areas have also had to temporarily suspend or modify classroom activities.

With conditions varying from one locality to another, education authorities are relying on flexible scheduling rather than extending the academic year.

Schools have been allowed to use additional working days and special classes, wherever required, to bridge the gap caused by the disruption.

The Education Department's immediate priority is to balance the need for safety during extreme weather with the requirement that students receive the prescribed classroom instruction and complete their syllabus within the academic year.