Summer vacations: lack of consensus irks students, parents

Lack of consensus among the high-ups of the Sindh government on observing summer vacations especially in schools has bothered managements of private school as well as students and their parents belonging to metropolis, Business Recorder learnt on Tuesday.
Most of the schools gave the timetable to their students following the decision of steering committee of Sindh education department that summer vacations for session 2011-12 in all public and private institutions would be observed in July-August instead of June-July.
Earlier, this month, after chairing a meeting of steering committee of Sindh education department, Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq announced that all schools and colleges would be closed for the summer vacations in July and August due to Ramzan.
The situation went volatile when Sindh CM rejected categorically the summary after his return home from South Korea, and it created a panic among private schools, students and their parents. Chief Minister firmly rejected the recommendation and announced summer vacations from 1st June to 31st July as per previous schedule.
Syed Izhar Mehdi, principle of well-reputed school lambasted the undefined policies of Sindh government saying that they have already issued the revise academic schedule to their students after the decision of the steering committee. He said decision irritated us as we had already rescheduled our examination process and other academic activities in line with the recommendations of the steering committee. This not only hurt the managements of the private schools but also irked the parents of the schoolchildren.
Saeed Ahmed Abbasi whose three children have been studying at private school in different standards complained that he has arranged the programme for their children to visit Muree in August according to the decision of the steering committee earlier this month. "We have reserved the seats of plane for the month of August and paid t but now cancelling of the seats may cause financial loss besides children are in the state of discomfort", Saeed Ahmed angered, who works in a private company.
In this regard when Chairman Private Institution Sindh Mansoob Hussain Siddiqui told Business Recorder that Steering committee had chalked out revised policy for summer vacations keeping in view holy month of Ramzan and prediction of metrological department about the heavy rainfall during July and August in various flood stricken areas of Sindh.
He admitted that people also appreciated the decision of steering committee.
But the final decision had to take by Sindh Chief Minister who refused to ink the summary proposed by committee which definitely saddened the parents and ultimately disturbed academic schedule of various schools especially privately owned institutions, Mansoob added. He said committee had received suggestions from civil society, government and private sectors that keeping in view the coming holy month of Ramzan in order to facilitate the citizens.
Syed Khalid Shah Chairman Private Schools Management Association criticised Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on not signing the summery demanding dissolution of the steering committee forthwith. It is undemocratic attitude that Sindh chief minister rejected summary forwarded to him after developing consensus in the meeting of steering committee, Khalid opined, adding all concerned officials of Sindh education department and other stake holders were the part of steering committee.