The district administration has changed the opening and closing timings of the government and private primary schools given the cold conditions prevailing in the area during the morning hours, officials said today January 4. An order issued by Una Deputy Commissioner Raghan Sharma on Thursday said the primary schools will open at 10 am and close at 3 pm, they said.

The officials said these orders will remain in force during January, adding a decision can be taken again when the severity of winter subsides next month. As per the information, all primary schools in the district will open at 10 am from January 5 onwards. The timings have been changed by almost one hour, as stated in a report by PTI.

The morning temperature in the district is below five degrees and it was becoming very difficult for the parents to send their children to schools amid the cold wave. Many children are also falling ill due to the cold wave. The number of children suffering from cold, cough, viral fever and pneumonia in the hospitals in this district is increasing rapidly, PTI reported.

Recently, the representatives of the District Primary Teachers Association met the District Deputy Director of Primary Education Devendra Chandel and raised the demand for a change in the timings. The district deputy director placed it before the deputy commissioner and the opening timings of the primary schools were changed by one hour after deliberations.