Dakshina Kannada Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) G. Shashidhar has directed educational institutions in the district not to call teachers to school to conduct online classes when the Deputy Commissioner declares a holiday due to heavy rain.The DDPI issued the instructions to schools after Deputy Commissioner H.V. Darshan declared a rain holiday on Saturday for anganwadis, schools, PU colleges and institutions offering diploma and ITI courses.In a written instruction, Mr. Shashidhar said that when the Deputy Commissioner declares a holiday for educational institutions citing heavy rain forecasts, the institutions should remain closed. They should not call teachers to the premises and put their lives at risk. The government is concerned about the safety of teachers as much as that of students. The instructions were conveyed to schools through the block education officers (BEOs).In a separate voice message to the BEOs, Mr. Shashidhar said they would be held responsible if any school was found calling teachers to school to conduct online classes during rain holidays.Following questions over the district administration’s declaration of a rain holiday, Mr. Darshan said in a video message on social media that the holidays were being declared for the safety of children. It was the responsibility of the district administration to ensure the safety of every student. If any institution, including residential ones, was found functioning during rain holidays, necessary action would be taken under the Disaster Management Act. Published - August 01, 2026 08:30 pm IST