BHUBANESWAR: The School and Mass Education Department on Thursday rescheduled the school timings in view of the heatwave condition in the State.
In a notification, the department informed that from April 2 students of Standard I to VIII will have to attend their classes from 6:30 am to 10:30 am. Similarly, classes for Standard IX to XII will be conducted from 7 am to 11:30 am.
The revised timings will be applicable to all educational institutions under the School and Mass Education, government-aided and privately managed schools. This apart, the government schools will start serving cooked food under the mid-day meal scheme from April. The department has directed all schools to ensure provision of drinking water on the campuses and advised students to use umbrellas during the summer season.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast above normal maximum temperature in parts of Odisha in April.
In its monthly forecast, the national weather forecaster has predicted above normal daytime temperatures in extreme parts of interior Odisha, and normal temperatures in interior districts adjacent to the coastal region.
“North coastal region is likely to witness below the normal maximum temperature in April due to the possible thunderstorm activity in the region,” said Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Scientist, Umasankar Das.
The regional Met office has issued a heatwave warning for one or two places in Balangir, Sonepur, Bargarh, Boudh and Kalahandi districts on Friday. Maximum temperature is likely to remain above normal by 3 degree C to 4 degree C at many places in interior districts during the next two days.
On Thursday, Titlagarh recorded 42.2 degree C, Bhawanipatna, Balangir and Jharsuguda 41.2 degree C each, Boudh 41, Sambalpur 40.1, Sundargarh and Malkangiri 40 degree C each between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Thursday.