Suriname state schools to close at noon throughout October because of heat
The education ministry says shortened school days will run from October 1 to 31 as afternoon temperatures approach 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
PARAMARIBO, Suriname. State schools in Suriname will close at noon every day throughout October because of high temperatures, the country's education ministry has announced.
"The ministry of education, science, and culture has decided to adjust class times for the entire month," the announcement said. The adjusted hours took effect on October 1 and remain in force until October 31.
"During this period, the schools mentioned will close at 12:00 p.m.," the ministry said. "The ministry indicates that the measure is related to the high temperatures occurring primarily in the afternoon."
The ministry said the school day was being temporarily shortened so that students and teachers could go home earlier, and asked schools, parents, students and teachers to take the changed hours into account.
"The ministry emphasises that the measure is temporary. Regular school hours will be resumed starting in November, unless the ministry decides otherwise," the announcement added.
An annual feature
Closing government schools early has become an annual feature of academic life in the Dutch-speaking CARICOM member. In some years, half-day schooling has been extended until mid-November, when temperatures fall.
Officials say temperatures in Suriname consistently approach 100 degrees Fahrenheit in October, making classrooms that mostly lack air conditioning unbearable.
Suriname and Guyana, the two CARICOM nations on South America's Caribbean coast, lie close to the equator. Suriname sits between two and five degrees north, while Guyana is just over five degrees north.
No other regional member state has taken such action to deal with hot weather in living memory.
