Kancheepuram Private School Declares Holiday Due to Power Outage

A private higher secondary school in Kancheepuram declared a sudden holiday on Thursday following a scheduled power outage, leaving many students and parents inconvenienced after children had already reached the campus.

The school, located in Pillaiyarpalayam, has more than 900 students studying from LKG to Class 12.

According to reports, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) had announced on Wednesday that power supply would be suspended from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Pillaiyarpalayam on Thursday to facilitate maintenance work.

Following the announcement, the school management informed parents about the holiday through a text message on Thursday morning. However, many parents did not notice the message in time and sent their children to school as usual. The students came to know about the holiday only after arriving at the campus and had to return home.

The situation particularly affected students who travel long distances, as they had to make an unnecessary return journey.

Several parents expressed dissatisfaction with the school`s decision, arguing that institutions charging substantial fees should have adequate backup power facilities, such as generators or inverters, to continue classes during scheduled electricity outages.

Parents also pointed out that this was the first instance of a private school in Kancheepuram independently declaring a holiday solely due to a planned power shutdown.

The District Educational Officer (DEO) said the school had informed the department about the holiday on Thursday morning. The management has agreed to compensate for the lost working day by conducting classes on Saturday, and the education department has approved the arrangement.

The official also stated that the school management has been instructed not to declare holidays in the future due to power outages and to make suitable alternative arrangements to ensure uninterrupted classes.