Goa: Rescheduled Diwali break upsets exams, travel plans

PANAJI: The last-minute rescheduling of the Diwali vacation by the directorate of education (DoE) due to the National Games, has angered many parents. The holiday plans of families have gone for a toss, as the dates have been advanced by many days. Parents said they are set to lose huge amounts of money, even affecting international holiday plans. The parents are also upset as exams have been advanced by two weeks or more, putting undue pressure on students.
A captain in the merchant navy, Dammy Coutinho from Chinchinim, had made plans with 21 other families to holiday with their children in Thailand and Cambodia.But now, all the families involved are set to lose their entire booking amount.
“We had done a group booking for such a large group. If we cancel now, we will lose the entire amount. We had all synced our leave at the workplace with the school break of our children. My brother, who is a marine engineer, had also planned his leaves accordingly. Our plans have gone haywire. The directorate of education cannot work as per its whims and fancies,” said Coutinho.
He asked why the government did not plan the academic year better when it was known well in advance that the National Games are being hosted in Goa this year. The Games are being hosted from October 25 to November 9.
Parents said that schools have also not been able to complete their first term syllabus, and the exams have been advanced as the Diwali vacations have been shifted from October 24 to November 18 now. The syllabus is also being compromised due to the poor planning, said the parents.
“We were going to Cambodia and it is a fixed departure tour so we will not get a refund. One of my children is in Class IX, and since he will be in Class X next year, we wanted to take him on a holiday this year itself. We are 22 families and all of us are set to lose the money now. I don't even want to say anything on the way the planning is done by this government,” said another parent, Amarnath Gaonkar, from Borda, Margao.
Teachers said that the first-term portion had also to be trimmed due to the change in Diwali holiday schedule. First term examinations which were scheduled to take place from November 1 have now been moved much earlier to October 14, and some institutes have asked students to submit assignments post the vacations to give students a breather.
Miramar resident Gauri Kamat said that the plans of five families have gone for a toss due to the altered academic schedule.
“Fifteen of us had booked tickets to Dehradun and we were to travel later to Mussoorie and Rishikesh. Our flights, hotels, everything was booked. When such a big gang goes, you have to book in advance. We were to return on November 23. But with the changed holiday schedule, we had to shell out Rs 1 lakh altogether to change the bookings, because otherwise, the children would miss too many days of school,” said Kamat, the mother of a Class V student.
“We were to land by flight in Dehradun and the children were excited to see the snow-capped mountains from the plane. But now, they will miss this as flights were too expensive and we will now be travelling to Delhi and then going to and from Dehradun by road,” she said.