Mangalore: Misguided Policies - Dasara Holidays Begin After Festival Concludes!
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Sep 22: The holidays school children get during September-October every year have traditionally been known as ‘Dasara (Navaratri) holidays’, even though in some schools they are known as ‘mid-term holidays’.
In the past, the tradition of granting these holidays to coincide with Dasara festival was being followed. Although the name given to the holidays remains intact, strangely, the holidays do not fall during the festivities anymore. This is happening because of the policies being followed by the department of education, which in normal course, is expected to respect the local culture.
This year, the Dasara holidays fall between October 6 and October 27. Dasara festivities are held between September 28 and October 6. If the holiday had been advanced a little bit to coincide with the festivities, the parents could have taken their children with them to their native places to celebrate with their families. Now, they are forced to visit native places after the festivities, in which case, the celebrations part of the annual event is lost.
This is happening perhaps because the officials do not take into account the dates of festivals before drafting the school calendar before the beginning of the academic year. The Kerala government makes it a point to grant ten days holiday during Onam festival.
During last year, the holidays were adjusted to enable people of the twin-districts to take part in the grand Dasara celebrations at Kudroli temple in the city, after protests and discussions were held. The problem is not specific to the coastal districts alone, as Dasara is celebrated all over the state, and Dasara festival in Mysore attracts tourists from all over the globe.
The officials do not seem to have learnt their lessons. Advancement of holidays at this stage entails postponement of some mid-term examinations after the holidays, which the children detest to face as they will still be in festive mood. The officials could have surely avoided this situation if they had put in some thought before deciding on holiday dates, one feels.