School Holidays Extended:A biting cold wave gripping large parts of northern and eastern India has upended normal life, pushing state governments and district administrations to shut schools, extend winter breaks and adjust academic schedules for student safety.
School Holidays Extended
With minimum temperatures plunging well below average, dense fog reducing visibility and weather warnings in place, authorities are taking no chances with children’s health and travel conditions.
Delhi
The winter vacation for every educational institution in the national capital has been prolonged by the Directorate of Education until January 15, 2026, as a measure against the cold wave, fog, and bad air quality that are likely to persist.
Official communication channels will be the main source of parents’ information as the schools may make more changes if the situation does not improve.
Uttar Pradesh
The cold wave has affected the decision-making process getting different decisions at both district and state levels throughout Uttar Pradesh. In Gautam Buddh Nagar and neighboring NCR zones like Noida and Ghaziabad, schools for nursery to Class 8 have remained closed until January 10 as the cold wave shows little sign of easing.
Elsewhere in the state, closures and extensions have been announced on a district basis. Varanasi schools closing until January 9, Baraich extending break to January 14, and Lucknow schools remaining shut until January 8.
Kolkata Shivers Through Coldest January Day Ever as Temperature Drops to 10.2°C
Bihar
In Bihar, administrators have closed schools in several districts for short periods as thermometers dip and thick morning fog persists. Officials have taken the preventive measure of suspending schooling at least until the end of the cold season in some regions where temperatures are reported to plummet below 4 °C, in an effort to protect the most vulnerable, young students.
School Holidays Extended: Other States
Not only the conventional cold areas are suffering from the situation caused by the sudden dip in temperatures. Jharkhand has declared that schools will remain closed up to early January as the cold wave and dropping temperatures forced the meteorological department of the country to issue a yellow alert.
In the same fashion, some regions of Rajasthan including Bundi and Baran districts have allowed student holidays to last until January 10 as a precaution against extreme cold conditions.
Heavy cold and fog have made traveling so risky that the northern and central parts of Chhattisgarh, especially in the Surguja division, have also declared special holidays for primary students.
At the same time, winter vacations have begun in Haryana, Punjab, Tripura, and many other states, and in some areas, the situation is being monitored closely for the possibility of further extensions.
