9am dilemma: Schools on city outskirts face logistics labyrinth, unhappy with new timing

Nagpur: As schools in Vidarbha prepare for a new academic session, the state govt’s decision on starting school (up till Std IV) from 9am onwards has become a pain point. The February 8 GR of the school education department mentions that this applies to all schools, irrespective of the board, and the decision was based upon complaints by parents that the young ones were not getting enough sleep.
The GR, however, does leave scope for schools to wriggle out of this ‘mandate’, by adding that if it’s impossible for timings to be changed, then the education officer can take a call.

Many big brand schools in Nagpur have their campuses outside city limits, and it’s common for students to commute anywhere between 15-20km one-way to reach school. School buses transport all students (Std I till X or XII) in the same bus, based on the routes.
The most common school start time in Nagpur is 8am for schools outside city limits, and if timings for primary section are changed to 9am, then it turns into a logistical nightmare, say schools.
A school transport fleet owner said, “There is no way the same bus can come to pick both shifts. So different buses will have to be hired and since students (per bus) will now be less, then transport fees will shoot up.” The fleet owner added that as of now, not enough school buses are available to “double up” considering the same routes will have to be plied within an hour.
Apart from the logistical nightmare, school principals question the logic of school timing change.
Anmol Badjatia, principal of The Jain International School, said, “There is no scientific research which shows the reason for this. Our Indian culture has always been about waking up early and here we are doing the opposite. Instead of focusing on how we can get kids to bed early, the entire system is looking at getting them to sleep late. And by doing this we are disturbing what globally is known as the circadian rhythm.”
Nidhi Yadav, principal of DPS Mihan, said “By keeping the school timing at 9am, these buses will hit the road in peak office hour time. That will mean longer time on the road which defeats the purpose of the decision. Then school will end late and while returning, they may encounter traffic. What really needs to be done is to regulate the habits of children at home to ensure that they are not sleeping at midnight after spending hours on the phone / computer.”
Shilpee Ganguly, director-principal of Centre Point School (Katol Road), however, felt that the extra hour or so of sleep will benefit students. Ganguly said “My personal view is that we must keep up with the changing lifestyle. Three or four decades ago kids would go to sleep early because that’s how things were, but now due to the presence of so many factors in this digital age it has all changed. If colleges can start at 9am or 10am, then why should we pull the young ones off the bed early.”