By Alok Mohit and Neeraj Kumar

Patna, May 29: Chief minister (CM) Nitish Kumar has ordered closure of schools across Bihar till June 8 after more than 100 students fell unconscious due to extreme heatwave conditions in different parts of the state on Wednesday.

The state is reeling under fierce heatwave with the day temperature crossing 44 degrees Celsius at several places in the state on Wednesday.

The decision to close the schools came after incidents of more than 100 children fainting during school hours were reported from many districts on Wednesday. These included 24 in Sheikhpura, 14 in Begusarai, 10 each in in Banka and Jamui and six in Munger. More than six children in Munger and two in Nalanda as well as teachers and kitchen staff in many other districts fell sick.

Initially, the principal secretary of the education department had altered school timings, but the chief minister later ordered the closure of schools from May 30 to June 8.

Following the chief minister’s instructions, chief secretary Brajesh Mehrotra convened a crisis management group meeting and later issued a directive to district magistrates to ensure closure of all private, government-run schools, private coaching institutes and ‘anganwadi’ centres in the state till June 8. He also ordered immediate compliance of the directive to ensure that there were no adverse effects on children’s health.

Earlier, the governor had instructed the chief secretary to order closure of schools till the first week of June in view of the extreme heatwave. The chief secretary forwarded the letter to the education department, but no further action was taken.