look news india
Amidst the joy of the festive season and the last days of Shardiya Navratri, a big and relief news has emerged for the school students, teachers and parents of Uttar Pradesh. As per the annual holiday calendar and official instructions issued by the Basic Education Council and Secondary Education Department, Uttar Pradesh, there will be a holiday of three consecutive days in all the educational institutions of the state. Due to the weekly holiday of Sunday on 18th October, the holy festival of Mahanavami on 19th October and the public holiday of Vijayadashami i.e. Dussehra on 20th October, teaching work will be completely suspended across the state. This three-day holiday will be effective in all the primary, upper primary, aided and major convent schools located in Hazratganj, Gomti Nagar, Alambagh, Indiranagar and Aliganj of the capital Lucknow and all the districts ranging from Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Agra and Meerut. There has been a wave of happiness on the faces of the students after getting three consecutive days of leave, while people have started planning to celebrate the festival with their families and visit their native villages.
Instructions have been given to implement this holiday table compulsorily in all the council primary and upper primary schools of the state run under the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Council. According to Education Department officials, there will be a regular weekly holiday on October 18 as it is a Sunday. The very next day, on October 19, a holiday has already been declared due to the special significance of Mahanavami fast of Shardiya Navratri and Kanya Puja. On October 20, the great festival of Vijayadashami (Dussehra), symbolizing the victory of religion over unrighteousness, will be celebrated, which is a gazetted holiday declared by the government. Basic Education Officers (BSA) and District School Inspectors (DIOS) have made it clear that there will be no teaching-learning work in any government school during these three days and all schools will remain completely closed.
Along with government and aided schools, all private recognized schools of the state, CBSE and CISCE affiliated schools are also included in the scope of these holidays. Many big missionary and private schools of Lucknow and Noida-Ghaziabad have confirmed this three-day holiday by sending official circulars and mobile messages to parents, adding Durga Puja and Dussehra as per their academic calendar. While some private schools have started holidays on Saturday itself by having half-day or pre-Dussehra celebrations, most of the institutions have announced complete closure of teaching work on Monday and Tuesday. School managements have also advised teachers and students to balance preparations for the upcoming quarterly and half-yearly examinations with enjoying the festivities during these three days.
This holiday is not limited to primary and secondary schools only, but will also apply equally to all state universities, aided degree colleges and technical institutions in the state. Administrative and academic work will remain closed in Lucknow University (LU), APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) and other higher educational institutions and their affiliated colleges from October 18 to 20. However, in universities where any pre-scheduled special entrance counseling or competitive examination is to be conducted, only the concerned examination or administrative cell will continue to function on a limited scale, while normal classes will remain completely suspended. Students of medical and engineering colleges are also taking advantage of this long weekend and heading to their homes.
The direct effect of this holiday of three consecutive days is being seen in the markets and public places of entire Uttar Pradesh including Lucknow. Preparations for Dussehra are in full swing in Lucknow’s historic Aishbagh Ramlila Maidan, Railway Ground Alambagh and other parts of the city. Due to closure of schools and colleges, children and youth will be able to spare time to visit Ramlila staging, Dandiya-Garba nights and grand pandals of Durga Puja. Huge crowds are gathering in the markets to purchase puja materials, new clothes and sweets. At the same time, in view of the holiday and crowding of these three days, the police and traffic administration have implemented strict security arrangements and traffic route diversion around major intersections and places of worship so that the public does not face any inconvenience.
After this festive holiday of three consecutive days, all the schools, colleges and educational institutions of the state will reopen as per their scheduled time from Wednesday, October 21, 2026. The Education Department has directed all school administrations to maintain tight security during the holidays and ensure that classes start on time on October 21. In view of the Preliminary Eligibility Test (UP PET) to be held in the last week of October and the upcoming festivals of Diwali and Chhath Puja, teachers are preparing to speed up their curriculum from October 21. Parents are also advised to keep an eye on the official WhatsApp group or notice board associated with their children’s school for any additional local instructions.