Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru 

Mangaluru, Aug 20: The parents and students have not welcomed the policy of holding classes on Sunday to compensate for the holidays given during the heavy rains. Many teachers are unhappy too with this decision. 

The department of public instruction in Dakshina Kannada has instructed schools to conduct additional classes either on Saturday afternoons or Sundays to compensate for the loss of lessons caused due to serial holidays on account of heavy rains, prediction about heavy rains, and floods for the safety of the students. 

The department of public instruction in Udupi also has sent the same circular. 

District deputy directors of public instruction have said that if classes to be held on Saturdays, they will be held on ten successive Saturdays. But the circular does not put the successive condition if the classes are held on Sundays. But it is clear that five Sundays will have to be reserved for this purpose. 

Many say that holding classes on Saturdays is fine. But classes should not be held on Sundays at all. 

“Holding extra classes on Saturday is fine. But on successive weeks is a bad idea,” said Santosh D’Souza from Urwa, father of a tenth standard student. 

“If classes are held on Sundays, that means a student has to go to school all the 7 days of the week. When will the student and teachers get rest then?” asked Sarojini Poojary from Pandeshwar, who also is a parent. 

Many of the parents who did not want to reveal their names also said the same. Only a few said holding classes on any day is fine as the students have lost classes on 5 days due to rains. 

Majority of the students we spoke to, opined that they did not like the idea of going to school on Sunday for any reasons. 

Several teachers associations also said the idea of holding classes on Sunday will inconvenience the students, parents, teachers and also non-teaching staff of schools. 

Aloysius D'Souza of Mangaluru High School Headmasters Association noted that having to attend classes all days of the week may give rise to psychological pressure in the students, duly reminding that shortage of classes was made good by holding classes on Saturdays last year. As most of the family functions are held on Sundays, the students would not be able to attend them. The students will also be deprived of physical activities including sports trainings if they are engaged in classes on Sundays. 

MLA, D Vedavyas Kamath, said that there is opposition to holding classes on Sundays from students, teachers and parents whereas the department of education is under pressure to complete the teaching in time. He said he would try to arrive at an unanimous decision after discussing the matter with concerned people and officials.