On Monday (9th), some primary and secondary schools in Dazhou, Sichuan, ushered in the “first lesson” after the delayed start of the school year, but due to the continued high temperatures, many schools once again postponed the start of classes until after the Mid-Autumn Festival. At the end of last month, in Sichuan and Chongqing, many places delayed the start of the school year until September 9.
According to a report by Jiemian News, in addition to the First Primary School of Dazhu County, Dazhu County also issued notices of further postponement of the school start date for several primary and secondary schools in the urban area such as Sanxiao, Baxiao, Dazhu Middle School, Dazhu No.2 Middle School, Dazhu No.4 Middle School, as well as schools in townships like Shihe Middle School, Qingshui Town Central School, and Maoba Middle School.
In the notices issued by these schools, some only involve the continued postponement of the start of classes for certain grades, while others apply to all students, with a special note that states “further notice will be given in case of weather changes.”
Meanwhile, the majority of public primary and secondary schools and kindergartens in the main urban area of Dazhou, as well as in areas with higher temperatures like Qu County, have also issued notices continuing the postponement of the start of classes. After the further delay, the official start date for classes in these schools is mostly set for September 18.
On August 28, the Dazhou Education Bureau had previously announced the postponement of the start of the school year. All primary and secondary schools in the city (including kindergartens and vocational schools) were scheduled to report for the fall semester on September 8, with classes officially starting on September 9.
According to the Dazhou Meteorological Observatory, in the coming days, the city will continue to experience mainly clear and hot weather, with scattered showers in some areas. The maximum temperature will reach 40°C, with some areas even exceeding 40°C. On September 9, the Dazhou Meteorological Observatory continued to issue an orange high-temperature warning signal, while the Qu County Meteorological Observatory continued to issue a red high-temperature warning signal.
According to a report by the Chongqing Daily on September 5, due to high temperatures, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, and Chongqing Communication University have delayed the start of classes. Returning students are required to be back on September 17, while new students are scheduled to report to school on September 18.
A report by the official media outlet “Xinjing News” on September 4 stated that in August, most parts of China experienced a hotter summer than usual, with southern regions facing unusually high temperatures. Statistics show that the number of hot days in the south exceed the usual by more than 10 days. In particular, Shapingba in Chongqing had 29 high-temperature days in August; Hangzhou in Zhejiang had as many as 28 hot days in August, the most in any August on record; and Xujiahui in Shanghai had 26 days of high temperatures, the most in a single month in local observation history.
As September begins, high temperatures are expected to decrease somewhat, but it is still too early to say goodbye to the lingering summer heat in the south. The “autumn tiger” is unlikely to leave anytime soon, with hot weather forecasted to persist for the next week.