UP School Closed Today: Due to UP PET exam, all schools up to 12th closed in 60 districts including Lucknow, Jaunpur, Prayagraj.

The government and district administration have taken a big decision regarding the second phase of Preliminary Eligibility Test (PET) being conducted by Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC). In order to maintain the huge crowd of lakhs of candidates gathering around the centers during the examination, security arrangements and smooth traffic, academic holiday has been declared in all the schools from class 1 to 12 in total 60 selected districts of the state today, 30 October 2026 (Friday).

As per the order issued by the Director of Education (Secondary) and District School Inspectors (DIOS) and Basic Education Officers (BSA) of the respective districts, this holiday will be applicable to government, unaided and private (self-financed) schools under all boards (UP Board, CBSE, ICSE).

PET exam in Uttar Pradesh is one of the biggest recruitment exams in the state, in which more than 35 lakh candidates have registered from across the state.

• Three Day Exam Schedule: This examination is being conducted by the Commission on three scheduled days—25th October, 30th October and 1st November in two shifts each (10:00 am to 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm).

• Traffic jams and children’s safety: Since October 30 is a normal working day (Friday), the clash of school closures in the morning and afternoon and commuting time of the candidates could have resulted in huge traffic jams in big cities. To save children from traffic jams and to ensure that candidates reach the examination center on time, holiday has been declared in schools.

• Schools have become examination centres: Most of the big private and aided inter colleges have been made the examination centers of PET.

This holiday is effective only in those 60 districts where PET examination centers have been set up by the Commission:

• Central and Purvanchal Uttar Pradesh: Lucknow, Jaunpur, Prayagraj, Kanpur Nagar, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Azamgarh, Basti, Deoria, Ghazipur, Gonda, Barabanki, Fatehpur and Sultanpur.

• Western Uttar Pradesh and NCR: Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida), Ghaziabad, Meerut, Agra, Aligarh, Bareilly, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Mathura, Firozabad, Bulandshahr and Bijnor.

• Bundelkhand and other areas: Jhansi, Banda, Hamirpur and Etawah.

(Note: In non-central districts where examinations are not being conducted—like Kaushambi, Mahoba, Chitrakoot, Shravasti, Balrampur etc.—normal educational work will continue as per the instructions of the local administration.)

The administration has made it clear that this holiday is only for students. The principals, teachers and non-teaching staff of the schools which have been made examination centres, have been instructed to be present at the center at the scheduled time in the morning, so that there is no disruption in examination duty, invigilator work and administrative arrangements. Even in schools where there is no centre, teachers will be present for necessary government work.

• Possibility of crowd on roads: There is a possibility of heavy crowd around Lucknow’s Hazratganj, Charbagh, Alambagh, Polytechnic Square, Kanpur Road, and Prayagraj and Varanasi Cantt railway stations and bus stands. Common citizens have been advised to use alternative routes between 8 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 6 pm.

• Stringent Safety Standards: Admission is being given at the examination centers only after thorough investigation through metal detectors, biometric and facial recognition. There is a complete ban on carrying any kind of electronic gadget, smartwatch or Bluetooth device.

• Instructions for parents: Parents should not pay attention to any rumour. If any school is found to be conducting classes contrary to the orders of the administration, punitive action will be taken against it by the office of the District School Inspector.