Schools of all categories have been reopened in most of the states across India including the southern state such as Tamil Nadu. Children studying in all levels of schooling right from the primary, middle, and high school and the higher secondary levels have resumed their routine of attending schools.

Of course, the reopening of schools after the regular long summer had got delayed by several days this time. This was due to the persisting unusual heat wave prevailing across India. All states belonging to different zones like north, south, east, and west have been experiencing unprecedented oppressive and prolonged summers this year.

And now the schools have reopened but the oppressive heat still continues to take a heavy toll on the physical and psychological health of the children. As education is so vital for the children and they cannot afford to lose that, the government cannot keep on postponing the reopening date of the schools.

This kind of prolonged heat wave with the high temperatures crossing 100 degrees most of the time has become a regular phenomenon in recent times thanks to Climate Change.

So as part of precautionary measures, the children should be protected from the impacts of the intense heat. The children should be prevented from suffering from conditions like dehydration. The children should be encouraged to consume a good volume of clean drinking water every day to beat the heat.

As with the schools having reopened, the children would be spending a major part of the day in the schools and hence the school authorities of the respective schools also should ensure clean drinking water to the children.

The parents should make it a point to keep the children remain hydrated by giving them bottles of clean drinking water along with their school bags containing textbooks. Similarly dress that the children wear should also be given importance to face this kind of oppressive heat.

The children should be encouraged to wear mostly Cotton garments that help to ward off the heat. Psychological health also gets affected for children by heat along with heat-triggered physical ailments like skin rashes, boils, and other issues.  These points should be kept in mind by all in particular, the parents of school-going children and the teachers.

As Climate Change is the basic cause of this kind of prolonged heat waves the things required to reduce its impacts also should be considered. Long-term measures like giving utmost importance to education on practices of massive tree planting and avoidance of carbon-emitting materials etc. should also have to be taken up by all concerned.