31 May, Kathmandu: Extreme heat prompts school closure in Birendranagar from Sunday
Bheriganga (Surkhet), May 31: Schools in Birendranagar are to be closed from coming Sunday in view of the increasing hot weather.
Private and Boarding Schools Organisation of Nepal (PABSON), the umbrella organisation of private and boarding schools in the country, decided to close the schools for a week beginning June 2, citing the scorching heat.
The maximum temperature in Birendranagar was around 40 degrees Celsius today.
PABSON Surkhet president Ved Prakash Dhakal said that they made a collective decision has to shut the institutional schools for a week, as the extreme heat can affect the children’s health.
The Birendranagar Municipality also plans to close the community schools within the municipality in view of the increasing seething heat, said Dheerendra Sharma Lamsal, Chief of the Municipality’s education Section. He however added that an official decision has not been taken on this as yet.
“We will close the community schools within the municipality from Sunday if the temperature goes up like this as it has been at present. However, the schools will not be closed if there is respite in heat with the occurrence of rain,” he added.
Immunisation programme affected
Meanwhile, the immunization campaign against polio that is on since May 26 is likely to be affected due to the school closure. The campaign is scheduled to run until June 8. The immunization programme is being conducted in the local units of Surkhet under two phases in coordination with the schools.
The programme will be run in Birendranagar, Gurbhakot and Panchapuri municipalities, and in Simta, Barahatal and Chaukune rural municipalities from June 4-7.
