Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has authorised the district Collectors to take decisions regarding the reopening of schools after the summer vacation.

The Collectors have been authorized to take a call on the date of school reopening by taking into account the prevailing weather conditions in their respective districts, said the School and Mass Education (S&ME) department today.

Besides, the Collectors have been told to reschedule the class timing by taking into account the prevailing weather condition, added the department.

If the weather condition is normal, the schools can hold morning classes (from 6.30 am to 10.30 am). This arrangement will continue till June 20, said the department.

The schools were earlier scheduled to reopen after the summer vacation on June 18. The summer vacation had begun on April 25.

Notably, heatwave condition continued to prevail in some parts of Odisha even though the southwest monsoon has set in the southern part of the state by June 9. However, the monsoon has remained subdued and it is yet to cover the entire state.

The IMD has predicted that several districts in Odisha are likley to witness hot and humid weather condition till June 20.

Earlier, the Odisha State Secondary School Teachers’ Association (OSSTA) had urged the government to extend the summer vacation for a few more days due to the prevailing hot and humid condition in the state.