For many, the month of December and the devastation it has brought about, was a repetition of the December of 2015, when the city Chennai was flooded.
While cyclone Vardah’s impact has brought about showers in other southern states, the people of Chennai had to face the brunt.
Now, the school students stand the risk of losing a major part of their Christmas vacation, thanks to a slew of unexpected holidays in December.
Following the demise of the state’s Chief Minsiter J Jayalalithaa on December 5, the government declared three days of bereavement. As the city’s schools returned to normalcy, came cyclone Vardah, in the wake of which, the schools were shut for three days from December 12.
Even as Chennai is making its way back to normalcy, the city’s school faces another major task - to remove the fallen trees in the campus. Some schools have been facing repeated power cuts ever since they re-opened.
This also meant loss of working days and many school administrations has no way but to compensate the holidays by working on Saturdays and eating into the Christmas break.
“The school is usually shut by December 23 but this year we are likely to work till December 26 or 28. Students of classes 11 and 12 will take half-yearly exams until December 24 and we hope to continue working for a few more days after that,” Vidya Mandir principal Shobha Raman told TOI.
The situation has also reportedly irked many parents, who have already made travel arrangements and scheduled their vacation plans.