Varanasi’s schoolchildren stay home on Saturday. District officials have ordered a holiday from pre-primary through Class 12 on 26 September after continuous rain and the weather alert made the morning commute unsafe.
The District Inspector of Schools, Bholendra Pratap Singh, issued the order on Friday under the direction of District Magistrate Satyendra Kumar. It covers parishadiya schools, government schools, aided and recognised institutions, and campuses affiliated to CBSE, ICSE and other boards. In plain terms, almost every recognised classroom in the district is shut for students for the day.
Teachers are not off the hook in the same way. Council school teachers, shiksha mitras, instructors and other staff have been told to report and finish departmental work. The holiday is framed as a student-safety measure, not a campus lockdown. Block education officers and principals have been asked to enforce the order without soft corners, and managers of private recognised schools have been looped into the same compliance line.
Saturday’s shut-down sits next to Sunday’s weekly off. That means two consecutive days without teaching for students before the next working Monday, unless a fresh order extends the break. Education offices said they are watching the weather and may revise if conditions worsen after the weekend cells pass.
The decision tracks the broader rain picture over East Uttar Pradesh. IMD’s Saturday product places Extremely Heavy Rain on 26 September for the East UP subdivision, with Heavy Rain still listed for Sunday. Local lanes that waterlog quickly after short bursts become harder for small children and two-wheeler drop-offs when visibility drops and wind picks up. Parents in low pockets already saw that pattern earlier in the week.
Neighbouring districts in the wider Purvanchal belt have issued similar student holidays for Saturday under their own district orders.
Parents should treat Saturday as a full student holiday and not send children for routine classes or special coaching that assumes a normal school day. Those who need clarification on board-specific campuses can check with their principal; the DIOS text already lists CBSE and ICSE among the boards covered. Staff who must report should carry rain gear and allow extra time on wet roads.
No examination postponement schedule is attached here.
