Winter weather crisis: School holidays in parts of Bulgaria extended again
Pupils in some regions of Bulgaria are getting a further extension to their Christmas school holidays because of harsh winter weather.
Schools had been scheduled to resume on January 5, but against a background of influenza epidemics in several regions and forecasts for severe snowfalls and plummeting temperatures, Education Minister extended the holiday so that schools would resume on January 9.
On January 6, the holidays were extended further, in the municipalities of Blagoevgrad, Kyustendil, Dimitrovgrad and Montana, as well as the region (not city) of Sofia, so that schools will now re-open on January 11.
Because of the flu epidemic in Stara Zagora, the school holiday has been extended to January 10 inclusive.
Schools in Plovdiv, where there also has been a high number of cases of flu, will re-open on January 11. The case is the same in Pernik, where a flu epidemic was declared several days ago.
The Ministry of Education urged mayors to extend holidays in villages where it is not possible to resume on January 9. This applies particularly to schools to which access is difficult, and where there are problems with electricity and heating classrooms.
Education Minister Meglena Kouneva called on local authorities to avoid any health risks to pupils and teachers.
(Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
/Panorama
