Manipur cuts summer vacation in schools to recover academic time lost due to unrest

The Manipur government has reduced the summer vacation in schools from three weeks to one week in an effort to compensate for academic time lost due to disruptions caused by the recent law-and-order situation in the state.

Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh announced the decision while addressing the inaugural session of a three-day workshop titled “Reforms in School Education of Manipur: An Approach to Implementation, Challenges and Opportunities of NEP-2020” on Monday.

The Chief Minister said educational institutions and government offices remained disrupted for nearly a month following the Tronglaobi incident in Bishnupur district in May, in which two children were killed in a bomb attack.

“Due to the current law-and-order situation in the state, the summer vacation has been reduced from three weeks to one week,” Singh said.

To make up for administrative delays caused by the disruptions, the government has also declared Saturdays as working days for all government departments. The Chief Minister clarified that the arrangement is temporary and normal holidays would resume once pending work is completed.

Highlighting the importance of educational reforms, Singh also stressed the need to promote mother-tongue-based learning in the early years of schooling. He said teaching children in their mother tongue up to Class V would enable them to learn more effectively and improve their understanding of subjects at a faster pace.

The workshop focused on the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020, discussing key challenges, opportunities and strategies for strengthening the school education system in Manipur.

The state government's decision comes as authorities seek to restore normalcy in educational institutions and ensure that students do not suffer long-term academic setbacks due to the disruptions experienced in recent months.