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Extreme Heat Forces Indian Schools to Close

Extreme heatwaves in India are forcing many schools to close for weeks at a time. This trend is creating serious challenges for working mothers across the country. In large cities like New Delhi, summer temperatures frequently rise above 104 degrees Fahrenheit. To protect children from the extreme heat, local governments often order schools to move classes online or shut down completely. As a result, hundreds of thousands of parents must suddenly balance their regular jobs with full-time childcare at home. This disruption affects families from all economic backgrounds.

Because childcare responsibilities usually fall on women, many mothers are leaving the workforce or taking lower-paying jobs. Economists warn that these long school closures reduce household incomes and hurt economic growth. Urvashi Prasad, a public health expert, asked, "If we know heatwaves will come every year, why aren't we planning ahead?" This crisis shows that extreme weather impacts more than just the environment. Communities must build better childcare systems and stronger infrastructure to help working families survive climate changes in the future.

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Chat

Talk about these words from the article.

Heatwave / workforce / challenge / temperature / local government / shut down / balance / childcare / responsibility / lower-paying job / economist / household income / economic growth / public health / plan ahead / infrastructure / extreme weather / climate change

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Discussion

1) According to the text, how do extreme heatwaves affect schools and working mothers in India?

2) How does the weather in your country usually affect your daily routine or work schedule?

3) What do you think is the best way to stay cool and safe during a very hot summer day?

4) Have you ever had to work or study from home, and what challenges did you face?

5 )How do parents in your community typically manage childcare when schools are closed?

6) What kind of changes have you noticed in the local environment or climate over the last few years?

7) How important is a flexible work schedule for your ideal career or lifestyle?

8) What solution does the public health expert in the article suggest to handle yearly heatwaves?