Classes on holidays, free textbooks, missing labs: After the floods, a Gujarat learning curve

In the aftermath of the devastating floods that struck Gujarat in late July, schools in the state are grappling with the aftermath of lost time and resources. Private schools in Surat, such as MP Liliyawala Vidyabhavan, have been running classes on holidays to make up for the time lost due to the flooding caused by heavy rains on July 22-23.

The Gujarat government has allowed schools in six districts, including Surat, Valsad, Navsari, Tapi, Dang, and Bharuch, to remain open on public holidays to meet the mandatory 120 working days of the first semester that began in June.

The flooding has resulted in the loss of up to a week of classes for over 200 schools in South Gujarat. The state government has dispatched around 1.45 lakh textbooks to schools in nine districts that reported damage. The floods led to waterlogging in roads and schools, with some schools reporting that water levels reached up to 7-8 feet. In Valsad district's Dharampur taluka, a school van driver lost his life while trying to save a child, and his body was recovered several days later.

Parents have been supportive of sending their children to school on holidays, despite the challenges faced by the schools. However, some families have not received the promised compensation from the officials. The Gujarat State School Textbook Board is providing textbooks free of cost to all schools across the state, including private schools, for the first time to ensure that the education of children continues uninterrupted.