Patna schools up to Class VIII shut till June 19

PATNA: With soaring temperatures causing mayhem across the district, Patna DM Shirsat Kapil Ashok on Monday ordered closure of all govt and private schools for students up to Class VIII till June 19. The decision was made to protect the health and well-being of the students.
The state education department had initially scheduled the school closure order from June 11 to 17 for all schools in the state, following a warning issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMS) about intense heatwave conditions across Bihar.
"It has been made to appear to me that due to prevalent heatwave and high temperature predicted by IMD in the district, health and life of students are at risk. Therefore, I hereby prohibit the educational activities up to Class VIII in all govt and private schools of Patna district till June 19," the order read.
The order also mentioned that during the closure period, teachers and non-teaching staff are required to be present in the school/office and perform their duties.
On Monday, Patna experienced a maximum temperature of 41.5 degrees Celsius, 4.8 notches above normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 28.8 degrees Celsius. Severe heatwave conditions were observed in 14 districts, and heatwave conditions in three districts. Aurangabad recorded the highest temperature in the state at 46.9 degrees Celsius.
The IMD has issued a red warning for severe heatwave conditions in Buxar, Bhojpur, Aurangabad, Rohtas, Kaimur, Arwal, Patna, Jehanabad, and Gaya on June 18. Hot and humid weather is expected to persist over several parts of the southern districts in Bihar.