Huaphan schools to close amid plummeting temperatures

Classes at schools throughout Huaphan province will be suspended as temperatures sink to as low as 0-1C in the morning and teachers and children shiver.
The province’s Education and Sports Department on Monday announced that all classes at kindergarten, primary and secondary schools would be suspended due to the cold weather. Colleges will remain open.
A department official, Mr Thongvanh Bounthavong, told Vientiane Times that children at many kindergartens and primary schools are sitting exams which are scheduled to finish this week. The schools will close for a short while after children finish the exams.
Kindergarten and primary schools will reopen on January 25, and secondary schools on February 1.

The department announced that secondary schools in the province would rearrange their mid-term exams, which can be delayed until February 1.
Mr Thongvanh said the lowest temperatures in the province hovered at around 0-1C overnight yesterday.
Teachers and children had been suffering in the cold weather and could not tolerate the near freezing temperatures in classrooms, while local authorities were concerned about their health, he added.
The Meteorology and Hydrology Department reports that cold weather is affecting the northern provinces, Xaysomboun province, the Bolaven Plateau and mountain areas.
Schools in other provinces would not be affected by the low temperatures, local officials said.
In the latest forecast for January 11-17, the department urges the public to be alert to the possibility of sudden weather changes and to pay attention to forecasts.
In the north, there will be morning fog and strong winds with minimum temperatures expected to range from 4-10C and highs of 21-23C.
In the central region, minimum temperatures are expected to be 11-14C while the maximums will range from 29-31C.
There will be morning fog in Vientiane with temperatures ranging from 13-32C and the possibility of wind at times.
In Xaysomboun province, temperatures are expected to range from 4-22C.
In the south, temperatures are forecast at 15-32C with the possibility of wind at times.
The Bolaven Plateau will experience morning fog with light rain. Minimum temperatures of 3-6C are forecast, while maximum temperatures are expected to range from 20-22C.

By Keoviengkhone Bounviseth
(Latest Update January 13, 2021)