Kolkata: With football fever soaring in the city, several schools are embracing their students’ sporting spirit by making adjustments to their academic schedules.South Point School issued a notice to parents and students of classes 6-12 announcing the postponement of periodic assessment I, pre-midterm tests and unit test I, which were scheduled for July 20 and 21. The exam originally scheduled for Monday will now be held on July 29, while the Tuesday exam has been shifted to July 30.South Point principal Jaidev Ghosh said, “Football is an emotion in Kolkata. However, we felt that students should learn about team spirit, which is a life lesson they should absorb from their surroundings. Furthermore, we are trying to promote field games because we are concerned about their mobile addiction and dependence on video games”Rammohan Mission’s periodic tests have already begun, and they also have an exam scheduled for July 20. Principal Sujoy Biswas said, “We are planning to reschedule the exams that are held in the morning shift the day after the final. We have a significant number of students who are football buffs. They will likely stay up late at night, making it highly stressful for those who have exams early the next day. However, exams for the afternoon shift will be held according to the original schedule.”DPS Newtown School has rescheduled its weekly test scheduled on Monday. “The World Cup happens once every four years, and we understand everyone’s sentiment. Families sit together to watch the match, and since it is the World Cup final, it is indeed a big day. While we are keeping the school open, the exams will be rescheduled,” said Ambica Mehra, school principal.St James’ School principal Terence Ireland stated, “We might declare a holiday the next day depending on who the finalists are. Everything is currently under consideration; depending on which teams qualify, we will take a decision. If we do declare a holiday, we will make it up with a working day on Saturday”The director of education and development at the Julien Day Group of Schools, Terence John, said, “A large number of students might be absent the day after the final, so we will definitely take that into consideration.”Several other city schools plan to take a call a few days later as the World Cup final draws nearer. Some school principals stated that while they want to accommodate students’ health and excitement surrounding the match, they are also hesitant to lose the first working day of the week. Meanwhile, heads of state-run schools expressed relief that their second summative exams are scheduled for Aug, sparing them from immediate scheduling conflicts.
