The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to extend their decision to enforce half-day school timings for all institutes in the state, after taking into consideration the prevailing heat wave conditions.
In a circular issued on Sunday, Commissioner of School Education M Venkata Krishna Reddy said, "All Regional Joint Directors of School Education and District Educational Officers in the state are informed that it has been decided to extend half-a-day schools for one more week ie from June 17 to June 22, due to prickly heat waves prevailing in the state."
The circular said that this order would be put into place by all schools in the state; both government and private.
"Therefore, they (the managements) are requested to conduct half-a-day schools for one more week, i.e from 8 am to 12 pm. Further, all schools should function as full day schools from June 24 onwards in the state," the circular added.
On Sunday, Jangamaheshwarapuram witnessed the highest temperature in the state at 43.2 degree Celsius, followed by Tirupati at 42.4 degrees.
Vijayawada sizzled at 41.5 degree Celsius, a departure of 4.7 degrees from normal, while areas like Ongole, Nellore and Machilipatnam continued to witness a maximum temperature above 42 degrees, with 42.3, 42.7 and 42.3 degree Celsius respectively.
Meanwhile, the IMD in a two-day warning said, "Thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds (40 to 50 kmph) and lightning very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram Visakhapatnam and East Godavari while severe heat wave conditions were very likely to prevail at isolated pockets of the state."
As far as the Rayalaseema region, which includes the districts of Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool and Anantapur, was concerned, the IMD said, "Light to moderate rain or thundershowers are very likely to occur at isolated places over Rayalaseema and maximum temperatures are likely to be above normal by 2 to 4 degree Celsius.