Schools in China Delay Start of Autumn Semester Due to Heat Wave

Schools in several regions of China have delayed the start of the autumn semester due to ongoing heat waves. This decision affects primary and secondary schools in Chongqing and Sichuan provinces, as well as Nanchang in Jiangxi province.

In Nanchang, parents of primary school students received notifications on Sunday informing them of the one-week postponement due to extreme temperatures. The city's education bureau confirmed that schools in four districts – Honggutan, Xihu, Donghu, and Qingyunpu – have delayed the start of the semester to Monday. The Jiangxi meteorological service center predicts that maximum temperatures in northern, southern, and central parts of the province will remain between 35°C and 38°C over the next three days.

Similarly, education authorities in several cities in Sichuan, including Zigong, Leshan, Nanchong, Suining, Luzhou, Ziyang, and Dazhou, have also postponed the start of the semester for primary and secondary schools due to sustained high temperatures. Most schools in these areas will now begin classes on Monday, a week later than originally planned.

In Chongqing, all districts and counties issued notices on August 28th delaying the start of the fall semester for primary and secondary schools and kindergartens until Monday. The notices emphasized that the decision was made to ensure the safety and health of teachers and students amidst the extreme heat.

Sichuan and Chongqing have been experiencing an unusual heat wave in recent days, with temperatures in some areas exceeding 40°C. Chongqing, often referred to as China's "furnace city" due to its sweltering summers, was under a red alert for high temperatures for 12 consecutive days from August 21st to September 1st. A red alert, the highest level in China's three-tier high-temperature warning system, is issued when temperatures are forecast to exceed 40°C within 24 hours.