This was despite the CMO sending special instructions to all 13,693 panchayats across Gujarat to mobilise as many people as possible to attend Sneh Milan as a post-Diwali vacation address to the students and government officials.

Apart from the absence of necessary arrangement, the ongoing Ganit Vigyan Mela (Science Fair), which had primary students from 12-odd schools in an area gathering at a single school (generally the one with largest open space), interfered with the space arrangement for the CM’s address.

According to an official of the state Education Department, nearly 50 per cent schools from across the state could not telecast the address, which was made mandatory for the students of Class VIII to Class X.

Seeking anonymity, a school principal in Gandhinagar said that most of the schools had gathered students for the function in an open ground in their respective campuses or as a joint exercise at a single school.

“But with the sun blazing at 11 am and too many students in a single ground, the exercise turned futile. Neither did students get to hear the CM’s address nor could they study the entire day,” he added.

District Education Officer (Ahmedabad City and Rural) K K Rathore said, “At the moment, it is difficult to say as to how many schools had made arrangements for the telecast, but it looks like a majority of schools did it in Ahmedabad.”