The West Bengal school education department has extended the summer vacations of state government-run schools till May 31 in light of the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Government schools in the state will now open on June 2.
“Considering the present situation, it has been decided that the summer vacation in the primary/upper primary/secondary/higher secondary schools including the schools in the Hill Subdivisions of Darjeeling and Kalimpong District has been extended upto 31st May, 2025 The schools will reopen on 2 June, 2025 (Monday),” the notification stated.
Schools under the West Bengal Board of Primary Education were to stay closed from May 2 to May 12, while schools under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education were to remain closed from May 12 to May 23.
The extension applies to all government-run primary, upper primary, secondary and higher secondary schools.
Due to the heat wave in the state, summer vacations had been preponed from April 30. The extension to the vacations has sparked concerns about whether or not the syllabus will be completed in time, especially for higher secondary students following a semester system. The first semester Class XII exams are scheduled in September.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had urged private English-medium schools in the state to declare summer vacations from May 9, citing the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the launch of Operation Sindoor. She had clarified that this was not an official order, but a request to the management of private schools.
Banerjee issued the appeal just hours after the Indian armed forces launched missile strikes on nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, targeting terrorist infrastructure, in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives on April 22.
On the same day, four private schools in Kolkata had conducted evacuation drills to assess their emergency preparedness amid the heightened security concerns. The drills, conducted by National Cadet Corps (NCC) units, involved students practising rapid evacuation, assembling in safe zones, and returning to classrooms after an all-clear signal.