The school education department has advised government and government-aided schools to tweak their timings for June factoring in the “local weather condition”.

The advisory addressed to the state primary and secondary education board says: “Considering the prevailing heatwave situation in different parts of the state, I am directed to request you to kindly issue an advisory to the Govt./Govt. aided....school authorities so they can take a local decision on shifting timings in consultation with stakeholders, as per the local weather conditions, for the remaining academic days for...June.”

The schools opened for physical classes on Monday after the completion of a prolonged summer vacation that started on April 22.

Attendance in many schools in the districts has been thin because of the recurrence of heatwave-like conditions, said an official of the department.

If necessary, the schools can shift to the morning slot, he said.

The advisory says the schools can tweak their timings “without hampering academic activities” and “mid-day meal programmes and the interest of the students”.

Usually, when the department issues a notice for schools, it comes up with blanket instructions.

Heat holidays earlier announced were meant for all schools except those in the hill districts up north.

The latest, according to many school heads, is a rare instance where the decision has been left to schools considering local weather conditions.

An official said they stressed local weather conditions because the conditions were “not uniform across the state”.

“North Bengal is witnessing heavy rainfall following the arrival of monsoon. But many parts of south Bengal are encountering a heatwave. So we cannot give a blanket advice,” the official said.

Several districts of south Bengal are reeling under a heatwave.

While isolated thunderstorm activities can bring temporary relief in the districts over the next couple of days, rain is unlikely in Calcutta before Saturday, a Met official said.

Another official said they cannot always ask schools to hold classes in the morning considering that the primary sections of many schools have classes during that time.

These are multi-shift schools where secondary sections and primary sections are on the same premises.

Ashim Nanda, the headmaster of Shree Aurobindo Vidyamandir in Dum Dum, said: “We will hold classes in the morning so students don’t suffer because of the sultry weather. The semester system has been introduced at the plus-II level. Those in Class XI will write their first-semester examination in September. So classes have to go on,” he told Metro.

Another head of an institution said the number of class days had been reduced because of an extended summer vacation owing to Lok Sabha polls and the earlier heat waves.

“We are happy that the department has not extended the summer vacation further,” he said.