Mangaluru : Many city-based educational institutions are in uncertainty over the statement of D Vedavyas Kamath, MLA, Mangaluru South, who requested the authorities to advance Dasara holidays to September 28, instead of from October 6 to October 20.

The reason is that most of the educational institutions declare holidays after conducting mid-term examinations. These examinations are held in the last week of September, and run up to October 6. Usually minority institutions declare one week holidays during Dasara and reserve the rest for Christmas. This is an arrangement since many years, after obtaining prior permission from the education department.

“We are aware about the MLAs request and unclear about whether there will be a change at the last moment, so we have decided to complete all major mid-term examinations like crafts and others after September 28. This will save us from last-minute changes,” said a head of an education institution, on condition of anonymity.

“We will change the date if the government gives the direction, as we take prior permission to alter holidays from the department of public instruction, even before commencement of the academic year. As per our calendar of events, we will declare Dasara holidays from October 6 to October 13. Another week is reserved to declare holidays for Christmas from December 26 to January 1, and it’s a tradition followed from a very long time. If anything changes at the last minute, it creates confusion and the entire calendar has to be reworked,” said a source who heads about 300 educational institutions.

Y Shivaramaiah, DDPI, Dakshina Kannada, said that he has issued a circular a week ago that all aided or unaided schools and high schools have to complete mid-term examinations before September 30.

Part B subjects like physical training, drawing, craft and others must be completed before September.

Apart from it, all the schools are directed to compulsorily organise culmination of the 150th year of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary on October 2.