‘Wrong’ weather forecast: many schools give a miss to celebrations  

Independence Day celebrations in schools – students dressed in whites with hues of the Tricolour, attending the school assembly, and participating in cultural and literary activities – on Friday were low-key events or nearly absent, thanks to the forecast of very heavy rainfall during the week.

While some school teachers alerted parents that their wards can attend the flag hoisting ceremony in regular school uniform, others sent instructions not to come to the school and watch the live telecast of flag hoisting at Red Fort.

Several schools in the city, in the districts of Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri, were declared a holiday on Thursday. Schools in Hyderabad functioned half day on Wednesday. The School Education Department also instructed a few districts to declare holiday in view of the weather forecast.

According to India Meteorological Department’s prediction, the city was to receive very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall on Wednesday and Thursday. Reviews, including by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, GHMC, HYDRAA, the police, and widespread social media communication, had put schools and parents on high alert.

“Usually, we would ask the students to come dressed in the attire of national and freedom fighter leaders. There would be competitions such as elocution, singing and dance, flag hoisting and sweet distribution. But there was no preparation, time or space for that this time,” said a school principal in Secunderabad.

A parent of a Class III student in Malkajgiri showed the message he got from the school in Sainikpuri: “In view of the prediction of inclement weather, the cultural programmes for I-Day remain cancelled. Flag hoisting will be done in school by the management, principal and teachers. Students are advised to stay at home and watch the live telecast of the celebrations at Red Fort.”

While some schools did ask the students to come to the school, the celebration was limited to flag hoisting, and in some cases minimum events were held indoors.

Contrary to the serious weather forecast by IMD and some self-proclaimed experts, which went wrong, Hyderabad received moderate overnight showers on Monday, brief spell of about 4 cm rainfall on Tuesday, and light rain and drizzle on Wednesday and Thursday, as against orange and yellow alert.

In reality, for many schools, the holiday lasted a week – starting Tuesday and ending Sunday.