Education ministry officials say that about 90 percent of students were absent for two consecutive days due to the cold wave that lashed the country.
In many schools, heads of departments along with teaching and administrative staff gathered the remaining students in one room and their families were requested to come and pick them up. It will be recalled that despite forecasts of an imminent cold wave, authorities in the education ministry had not declared a holiday for schools.
Meanwhile, meteorologists said they expect the cold wave to subside in the coming days and the temperature would gradually rise, with chances of light rain on Sunday and Tuesday evening. The national holidays falling on the last week of the month would be marked by balmy weather, predicted the weathermen.