11 November,2015 07:12 AM IST | | Varun Singh and Shreya Bhandary
While the department issued instructions to conduct awareness campaigns against fire crackers on Monday, colleges had already shut for Diwali holidays
This is yet another effort by the state education department that has bombed due to bad planning - the state's department of Higher and Technical Education issued a circular instructing colleges to hold awareness campaigns for students on the ill effects of firecrackers.
The education department's circular against firecrackers has come nearly two weeks late. File pic for representation
The only hitch is, none of the students will actually benefit from the circular - issued on November 9 - as colleges had shut for Diwali holidays nearly a fortnight ago.
The circular is based on a Supreme Court order dated October 16, which stated, "The Union government and all the state governments will give wide publicity, both in print and electronic media, to the ill effects of fireworks and advise people accordingly. We also direct teachers/lecturers/assistant professors/professors of schools and colleges to educate the students about the ill effects of the fireworks."
However, activists and college principals alike have pointed out that the education department acted too late in getting the circular out. While today is Diwali, colleges had shut for the holidays long ago. As a result, many of the principals themselves may be unaware of the notice.
"Students and staff members have not been in college for 10-12 days. The college will only reopen next week, so how does the government expect this circular to reach anyone in any college, let alone students? Even principals might not have seen this circular," said Vijay Joshi, principal of KJ Somaiya College in Vidyavihar.
Activists claim that the department is too late for any form of awareness for this year Diwali. Principals claim that it's been two weeks since students came to college so this circular cannot be put into force in literal sense.
Even the minister of state for Higher and Technical Education, Ravindra Waikar, was unaware of the ill-timed notice. "I am not aware about the circular. I will have to check who came out with it," he told mid-day.
