MANGALURU: Mangaluru City South MLA D Vedavyas Kamath, while asserting that dasara vacations in Dakshina Kannada should not be reduced for any reason, said the department of public instruction, which has done so, should have given discretion to school managements in this regard as well. This decision would have put it on par with discretion given to respective educational institutions to decide on the Christmas holidays, the MLA said.Noting that dasara celebration here has its own specialty, Vedavyas said Mangaluru Dasara too has captivated tourists just as the famed Mysuru Dasara has done. Devotees throng the temples in the district during this period including Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple at Kateel, Mahathobhar Sri Mangaladevi Temple and Sri Gokarnanateshwara Temple. School vacations have been given in the past to ensure that children get to visit these places, he said.The department has issued circular to cut short dasara vacations to compensate the holidays that district administration declared in view of heavy rainfall in the region. Against the initial dasara vacations from October 7 to 21, department has pared down the vacations by a week and will now be taken from October 14 to 21. This is not right. Any holiday given on account of natural calamity should be compensated by working full day on Saturday, he said.The state government that has given freedom to educational institutions to decide on their Christmas holidays should give the same leeway to them with regard to dasara vacations. However, move by the government itself to issue orders paring down dasara vacations shows its divisive policy, the MLA said. The district administration incidentally had given nine days of holidays at the height of monsoon to ensure that lives of students were not put to risk.

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