Uttar Pradesh School Closures: Schools in Varanasi, Bareilly, and Badaun Closed Due to Sawan Somwar and Kanwar Yatra

Due to the Sawan month and Kanwar Yatra, orders have been issued to keep schools closed in Varanasi, Bareilly, and Badaun in Uttar Pradesh. The local administration made this decision considering student safety, traffic diversions, and religious sentiments.

Schools Closed in 3 UP Districts: Extensive preparations have begun at the administrative level in Uttar Pradesh with the onset of Sawan and the Kanwar Yatra. As a result, schools in three districts – Varanasi, Bareilly, and Badaun – have been declared closed on Mondays and Saturdays. The main objective is to provide security to devotees and ensure smooth traffic flow. Details of the plans, reasons, and impacts for each district are outlined below.

1. Varanasi: Holiday on the First Monday of Sawan

The Varanasi District Inspector of Schools (DIO), Bholenath Pratap Singh, and the in-charge reserved teacher, BSA, have announced a holiday on Monday, 14 July, for all types of schools: Pariṣadiya (council), secondary, CBSE, and ICSE.

Key Points

• Schools located in urban areas and along Kanwar routes will remain closed.
• Teaching will be conducted on Sunday instead.
• Notification of the holiday will be sent to parents, students, and well-equipped institutions, including the Mid-Day Meal Foundation.
• The order was issued to ensure the safety of devotees and facilitate route diversions along Kanwar routes.
• This decision will keep school premises empty, allowing for better devotee security arrangements.

2. Bareilly: Holiday on all Four Mondays of Sawan

The District Magistrate (DM) of Bareilly, Avinash Singh, has announced a holiday in schools on all four Mondays of the Sawan month.

Institutions Affected: Secondary, basic education, CBSE, ICSE, and other board schools; colleges, ITIs, and institutions within a 5 km radius of Delhi Road and Badaun Road; technical and vocational educational institutions.

Special Provisions

• School staff will not be on leave; they will be present for government work.
• If any institution has scheduled examinations, they will be held as usual.
• GRM Manager Rajesh Agrawal announced the holiday for all four Mondays in line with this policy.
• This decision was taken in Bareilly as part of a strategy to ensure security arrangements along Kanwar routes.

3. Badaun: Optional Closure on Saturdays and Mondays

In Badaun, the district administration has decided to keep primary schools (classes 1-8) closed every Saturday and Monday during the Shravan month.

Main Instructions

• Strict adherence to government orders is mandatory.
• This includes council, recognised, aided, and CBSE/ICSE affiliated schools.
• A route diversion plan is in place; therefore, schools will remain closed for security and traffic reasons.
• The aim of this step is to ensure the safety of Kanwar pilgrims and prevent disruption of local arrangements.

1. Security Perspective
A large number of devotees participate in the Kanwar Yatra to offer water at Shiva temples. This leads to large crowds on main roads, potentially endangering the safety of children and students.

2. Traffic Management
Route diversions disrupt vehicular movement. The movement of buses, vans, and other private vehicles during school operations could be difficult.

3. Teaching Strategy
The order mentions that the missed teaching should be conducted on Sundays in closed schools. This will ensure the continuity of studies.

Holiday Timeline

District	Days of Holiday	Remote Class/Arrangement
Varanasi	First Monday of Sawan, 14 July	Conduct classes on Sunday
Bareilly	All four Mondays of Sawan	Staff present, no classes
Badaun	Every Saturday and Monday of Shravan month

Opinions of Education Experts

Dr. Rita Verma, an education expert, says, “This step ensures safety, but it is necessary to determine the study timeframe and provide transparency. Giving teachers an excessive workload can affect the quality of education.”

Amol Singh of the City Development Council says, “Maintaining public order in situations like roadblocks is challenging. In such times, a holiday policy makes traffic and crowd management easier. However, how this affects studies is a matter for review.”

• Further Arrangements: The education department and administration need to improve coordination so that the Sunday replacement strategy is clear.
• Experience-Based Policy: This method has been tried before during Sawan or other festivals. The model that worked best in a particular district can be implemented in other districts.
• Meetings and Reviews: It is necessary to obtain feedback from students, parents, and teachers after the holiday week.