Bengaluru district administration declares holiday for schools on October 16 due to rains

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Urban district administration has declared a holiday for both private and government schools on Wednesday due to incessant rains.

On Tuesday, continuous rain caused significant disruptions, with thousands of students, parents, and teachers struggling to reach schools. Some schools shortened classes for student safety, while several have opted to conduct online classes on Wednesday.

Speaking to DH, Jagadeesha G, Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner, said considering ongoing exams for some higher education courses, colleges would remain open. Schools, however, have been directed to hold classes on Saturday or Sunday to compensate for the rain holiday.

The continuous rains since Monday night prompted several school vehicles to remain off the roads due to waterlogging and traffic issues. Some vehicles ferrying children were stuck in floods and broke down on the way to schools.

In one incident, children from National Public School (East) were rescued by a tractor, while students from Vagdevi Vilas School in Whitefield were rescued by a JCB when their school bus was stuck in floodwaters.

Parents who used personal transport for school drop-offs faced extensive delays. A parent from Rajarajeshwari Nagar said: “On normal days, it takes only 10 minutes to reach my son’s school in Banashankari Stage II, but today it took over an hour.”

A teacher at a school in Vijayanagar said, “I reached school around 11.30 am. Even with metro connectivity, Mysuru Road was completely jammed with traffic.”

The heavy rains on Tuesday prompted many parents to keep their children home.

Meanwhile, schools affiliated with the state board are currently closed for the Dasara vacation.

“Most schools are still on Dasara break and have not reopened. Those that resumed on Monday should decide on declaring holidays based on student safety,” said D Shashi Kumar, General Secretary of the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka.

The district administration has also issued guidelines for colleges, advising them not to use dilapidated classrooms and to monitor students closely, preventing them from accessing flooded areas during college hours.